Weekend Edition: Caffeinated concrete, helpful hookworms, and a multi-story rooftop tent

[New Atlas logo]( Welcome to our weekly wrap of the best stories to grace the pages of New Atlas over the last seven days. Sit back, relax and enjoy our Weekend Edition. Darren Quick Editor-in-Chief Materials [Waste coffee grounds make concrete 30% stronger]( [Researchers have found that replacing a percentage of sand with waste coffee grounds produces a stronger concrete]( Researchers have made concrete 30% stronger by replacing a percentage of sand with spent coffee grounds, an organic waste produced in huge amounts that usually ends up in landfill. The method offers a greener approach to construction. [Read more]( Medical [Hookworms successfully prevent type 2 diabetes in human trial]( [The microscopic larvae the trial participants were innoculated with]( For many, the idea of having a few dozen hookworms set up shop in your gut sounds more like a Survivor challenge than a beneficial health therapy, but scientists see a bright future in the human worm farm's ability to protect against chronic disease. [Read more]( Outdoors [New hybrid rooftop tent blows up into multi-story camping complex]( [Thecatal merges the worlds of ground tent, vehicle tent and rooftop tent camping to create the Magic Fort]( The Thecatal Magic Fort is a massive inflatable ground tent that creates a glamping duplex by housing a vehicle and turning it into the second floor. Campers enjoy several rooms and the option to extend the living space inside the vehicle. [Read more]( Automotive [Volkswagen Multivan PHEV camper van shatters the California RV mold]( [Volkswagen blows up the California mold and introduces some first-ever design changes with the new Multivan-based California Concept]( VW previews its first PHEV camper van, a pop-top California based on the T7 Multivan. Not only does the new California Concept promise 31 miles of electric driving, it brings a first-ever dual-door layout with in/outside kitchen and available toilet. [Read more]( Automotive [VanCubic camper pods roll full designer RV floor plan into an empty van]( [VanCubic offers modular two-part camper conversion packages that slide right into an empty cargo van, bringing the warm feel of home]( VanCubic presents a larger camper-in-a-box. Its two modules fit neatly together inside a cargo van to create an instant RV with living room, bunk beds, kitchen and bathroom. Simply roll them into the van, and a work van becomes a camper van. [Read more]( Science [Barnacles may be the answer to the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370]( [Lepas anatifera being grown in the lab]( The mystery of flight MAF370, which vanished over the Indian Ocean with all hands, has baffled the world for nine years, but now a geoscientist at the University of South Florida may have found a surprising way to locate the wreck using barnacles. [Read more]( Outdoors [Modular EDC man-bag takes MacGyver-grade readiness exponential]( [Everyday carry gets bigger with the Vault 2.0 series from PD EDC]( PD EDC looks to handle the overflow of everyday carry gear the contemporary market has bestowed upon us. Its modular Vault 2.0 series of cases works like a binder to keep multitools, pens, money and more neatly organized and ready to deploy. [Read more]( Medical [Famous Queen track rocks insulin cells into action]( [Who knew Queen's "We Will Rock You" could one day be a diabetes buster?]( There's no doubt that a lot of people would say, perhaps a little hyperbolically, that rock and roll saved their lives. Now, new research has shown that the music just might be able to serve as a literal life saver for diabetics. [Read more]( Tiny Houses [Frankenshed rises from the dead to win 2023 Shed of the Year]( [Archie Proudfoot, from London, England, has been crowned the 2023 Cuprinol Shed of the Year winner for his Frankenshed]( The winner of 2023's Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition has been announced. Londoner Archie Proudfoot was chosen for his Frankenshed, which involved bringing a ruined old shed back to life with recycled materials and decorative artwork. [Read more]( Science [DNA "time capsule" extracted from 2,900-year-old brick]( [The 2,900-year-old clay brick, complete with inscription, from which scientists have now extracted DNA through the recent vertical crack]( Time capsules are a fun way to get a glimpse into life in the past, and now scientists have opened one from almost 3,000 years ago. The team successfully extracted DNA from inside an ancient clay brick, revealing the area's ecosystem at the time. [Read more]( Aircraft [Zapata's long-range, buy 'n' fly eVTOL aircraft is a turbine hybrid]( [Zapata's new AirScooter: a turbine-hybrid personal eVTOL with a two-hour endurance time]( One of the most colorful characters in aviation has entered the electric VTOL space. Franky Zapata, best known for his death-defying high-speed Flyboard antics, has announced a hybrid eVTOL to go alongside his jet-powered, flippable flying deckchair. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [Early screen time linked to later childhood development delays]( [A study has found that screen use at age one is associated with developmental delays later in childhood]( A new study has found an association between a one-year-old’s screen time and an increased risk of developmental delays later in childhood, particularly in the areas of communication and problem-solving. [Read more]( Energy [Power plant condenser coating could cut 460 million tons of CO2 per year]( [Top: A condenser pipe coated in F-DLC, which allows the water to bead and run off more efficiently. Bottom: A traditional copper condenser pipe, where water forms a thin film across its surface.]( Weaning the world off fossil fuels will take time, so finding ways to make energy generation more efficient is still important. A new coating for steam condenser pipes could, if rolled out widely, add more than a Russia’s worth of extra power per year. [Read more]( Space [Neutron images reveal zinc as culprit in Arecibo radio telescope collapse]( [The instrument platform crashing into the radio telescope antenna]( Almost three years after the event, neutron scans by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have uncovered the cause of the platform collapse that resulted in the destruction of the 1,000-ft (300-m) Arecibo Observatory radio telescope. [Read more]( Robotics [Dog-inspired robot keeps running on its own once started]( [The robot moves at a speed of 6 km/h (3.7 mph) using only the motion of the treadmill passing beneath it to keep running]( While we've seen a number of quadruped "robotic dogs" lately, they all require control motors to maintain their running gait. An experimental new one, however, keeps running on its own once it's been set in motion. [Read more]( Good Thinking [Invisible QR codes embed object data into infrared tags]( [3D-printed objects with embedded fluorescent tags that can be viewed through infrared cameras]( QR codes are everywhere nowadays, but they don’t have to be. MIT scientists have developed an invisible tagging system called BrightMarker, which embeds fluorescent tags into objects that can be viewed and tracked through an infrared camera. [Read more]( Aircraft [eHang completes eVTOL flight tests, full certification now imminent]( [With nearly 10,000 passenger-carrying demonstration flights complete, eHang has finished flight testing and expects its EH216-S aircraft to be fully type certified by the CAAC "very soon"]( eHang is set to become the world's first company to get an electric VTOL air taxi type certified and into commercial service, after successfully completing its entire flight test program with China's aviation authority. Oh, and it's autonomous. [Read more]( Medical [Intermittent fasting alleviates debilitating Alzheimer’s symptoms]( [This confocal microscopy image shows amyloid plaques (blue and red) in the brain of a mouse – the accumulation of amyloid plaques is so far the most well-documented biochemical hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease]( Six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and with it comes the physical behaviors that are responsible for 80% of nursing home admissions. Researchers believe fasting set to circadian rhythms could alleviate these awful side effects. [Read more]( Outdoors ["Tesla of campers" officially cuts the cord on the American RV trip]( [Coast has started Model 1 production and ordering is available now]( With a goal of pioneering a new breed of eco-RVing, Aero Build introduced its Coast travel trailer earlier this year, combining a stylish design with the latest RV tech. This "Tesla of campers" is now officially in production and available to order. [Read more]( Science [Ötzi the Iceman doesn't look like museum displays, says new genomic study]( [An earlier reconstruction of Ötzi the Iceman in a museum in Italy, which may now need updating after a new study conducted a more comprehensive genomic study]( Ötzi the Iceman is one of the most well-studied individuals in human history, but there always seems to be more to learn about him. A new genomic study has now found that he looked very different from the way previous studies had imagined him. [Read more]( Robotics [Introducing PIBOT, the world's first humanoid robot pilot]( [Researchers have created PIBOT, the world's first humanoid robot pilot]( A team of researchers has developed PIBOT, the world’s first humanoid robot pilot. Able to slide easily into the pilot’s seat and flip switches in the cockpit, the robot also uses AI technology to memorize flight charts and emergency protocols. [Read more]( Energy [Solar catalyst captures methane to create pure hydrogen and carbon]( [Catalysis expert Richard Blair, left, and nanotechnologist Laurene Tetard, both from UCF, have teamed up on some exciting new photocatalysis discoveries]( Methane has a greenhouse effect 80 times worse than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, and emissions are skyrocketing even as we start reducing CO2. That makes UCF's new hydrocarbon-capturing, sunlight-powered catalyst a very compelling idea. [Read more]( Military [US Air Force taps JetZero to build prototype blended wing aircraft by 2027]( [Rendering of a possible US Air Force blended-wing transport aircraft]( Under a US$235-million contract, the US Air Force has tapped JetZero to build a prototype blended wing aircraft as a way to advance and demonstrate the capabilities of the technology that could lead to a new class of military transports. [Read more]( Around The Home [Halo-like smart bar auto-mixes 1,000s of cocktails in your living room]( [Use the Barsys 360 to mix up neat classics or the latest experimental concoctions]( The original Barsys cocktail machine looks like it belongs only in an actual bar. The new Barsys 360, however, is more a piece of high-tech home decor, immersing one's glass in a vertical amphitheater of mixology with the skills of an ace bartender. [Read more]( Outdoors [Crua Culla Hammock Wrap Around V2 puts campers in an insulated cocoon]( [Looking a bit like a pig piñata from this angle, the Culla V2 is presently on Kickstarter]( Generally speaking, if you want to be warm and snug while sleeping outside, you sleep in an insulated tent. Crua Outdoors' new Culla Hammock Wrap Around V2, however, now brings the same sort of coziness to hammocks. [Read more]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at [newatlas.com]( (or [gizmag.com]( before August 2016). 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