Weekend Edition: Day/night solar tower, Google’s new AI, and fusion reactor powers up

[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. Energy [Double-action solar tower promises clean energy all day and night]( [A 200 metre tall, double-action solar updraft/downdraft tower could generate clean energy 24/7 in a hot, dry desert area]( Researchers in Jordan and Qatar have come up with a remarkable design for a "twin technology solar system" capable of generating clean energy 24/7. This double-action design promises more than twice as much energy as a standard solar updraft tower. [Read more]( Energy [World's largest tokamak fusion reactor powers up]( [JT-60SA has been under development since 1970]( The world's largest and most advanced tokamak fusion reactor has gone online as the EU/Japanese 370-tonne JT-60SA reactor was fired up for the first time during an inauguration ceremony in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. [Read more]( Technology [Google's new Gemini AI beats GPT and human experts across 57 subjects]( [Google's Gemini AI represents the next step-change in a wildly accelerating field]( Google has unveiled its awesome next-gen Gemini AI, claiming it outperforms OpenAI's GPT-4 – as well as human experts – on nearly all major tests. It understands images, video and audio as well as text and code, and will gain other senses over time. [Read more]( Energy [Disruptive offshore wind pyramid moves to real-world prototype testing]( [Build and maintain onshore, then tow it out and hook it up]( T-Omega's pyramid-based floating wind turbines are designed with the sole common-sense focus of keeping the cost of offshore wind down to an absolute minimum. With wave tank testing done, the company has now launched its first real-world prototype. [Read more]( Photography [Powerful solar storms dazzle in annual aurora photography gallery]( [Island of Aurora by Kat Lawman, taken in Wales, UK. Vibrant pillars of green and pink stretch over a lighthouse]( In good news for aurora photographers, the Sun is approaching the most active period of the solar cycle. As such, the stunning light shows in the 2023 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year collection are particularly vibrant. [Read more]( Medical [Under-skin implant reverses type 1 diabetes without anti-rejection drugs]( [Researchers implanted a thread-like device under the skin that secretes insulin via islet cells (pink balls) while receiving nutrients and oxygen from blood vessels]( Researchers developed a technique to implant a device containing insulin-secreting cells in a pocket under the skin, reversing diabetes in mice without the need for anti-rejection drugs. It could one day provide an alternative to insulin injections. [Read more]( Medical [Once-a-day pill for stubborn cancer delivers a 62.5% positive response]( [An illustration of the KRAS-G12C protein inside a cancer cell, and how divarasib can target it]( In what has already been tagged as a “game-changer” for cancer treatment, the potent once-a-day tablet known as divarasib has continued to impress at Phase 1b trial stage, outperforming not just current therapies but its previous trial results. [Read more]( Automotive [Ford F-550 single-cab Mini RV navigates off-road treachery with aplomb]( [The Wilderness Vans Grid Mini managing a talus field]( After previously releasing a typical big, bad truck camper, Wilderness Vans has turned its attention to something smaller. Its new Grid Mini supplies adventurers with a smaller, nimbler platform for pushing deeper and higher into the wilderness. [Read more]( Robotics [Humanoid/quadruped transformer throws boxes like a baggage handler]( [In its compact quadrupedal form, ANYmal looks like a robot dog on wheels]( Swiss Mile's ANYmal robot is a remarkable beast, capable of getting around as a wheeled quadruped, or standing up on its hind legs and using its front wheels as hands. Now, it's learning to do useful tasks – in about the funniest way possible. [Read more]( Electronics [Diamond data storage breakthrough writes and rewrites down to single atom]( [Scientists have demonstrated a new technique for writing data to diamond more densely using different wavelengths of laser light]( Diamond is a promising material for data storage, and now scientists have demonstrated a new way to cram more data onto it, down to a single atom. The technique bypasses a physical limit by writing data to the same spots in different-colored light. [Read more]( Materials [Graphene oxide used to strengthen and electrify 3D-printed concrete]( [One of the 3D-printed test structures made of the augmented concrete]( 3D-printed concrete structures are claimed to be faster and cheaper to build than their traditional counterparts, but they're not always as strong. That problem may soon be solved by adding a pinch of graphene oxide, which could also be used to detect cracks. [Read more]( Marine ["Heaving oscillators" use wave power to extend shipping range]( [Harvesting energy from the motion of the ocean could extend the range of large ships]( Ships can become mobile wave energy converters, say Chinese researchers, using "heaving oscillators" that draw power from heaving, rolling and pitching movements as they move through the sea, while also acting as motion dampers to improve safety. [Read more]( Outdoors [Beyond X rooftop hub tent doubles livable volume of Jeep below]( [The Fjordsen Beyond X Large looks and sizes larger than the Jeep Wrangler's entire passenger/cargo interior]( Fjordsen first came to our attention in 2020 with its extra-colorful inflatable rooftop tent (RTT). This year, it launched something even more eye-catching: the massive Beyond X hub-style RTT, which rises nearly 5 feet over the vehicle roof below. [Read more]( Automotive [Split-chemistry battery boosts BMW iX all-electric range to 608 miles]( [ONE splits the skateboard chassis into two different battery halves]( Last year, BMW and Michigan startup Our Next Energy (ONE) announced a partnership to test the latter's Gemini battery system. The initial results are in, and the project proved quite successful, pushing the BMW iX to just over 600 miles a charge. [Read more]( Automotive ["Mad Mike" unveils world's first 5-rotor Wankel in wild drift car]( ["Mad Mike" unveils the Madaz 787D drift monster, complete with the world's first 5-rotor Wankel rotary engine]( Internal combustion engines have still got a few punches left in them. Case in point: Kiwi drifter "Mad Mike" Whiddett has unveiled "the wildest drift car I could think of," built around the world's first 5-rotor Wankel rotary engine. [Read more]( Architecture [Compact but clever multipurpose house wins World Interior of the Year]( [19 Waterloo Street, by Australia's SJB, has been declared the 2023 WAF World Interior of the Year]( Alongside the World Architecture Festival, the World Festival of Interiors has also taken place. 19 Waterloo Street, by SJB, has won the World Interior of the Year for its installation of a multipurpose corner terraced house onto a compact site. [Read more]( Medical [The humble bean arms the gut with surprise cancer-fighting powers]( [Bad rap: Contrary to reputation, beans are actually good for our gut]( Beans don't have the best rep when it comes to our guts. But a new study has shown how a daily dose of navy beans can easily restore gut health in colorectal cancer survivors, revealing their broad benefit in helping protect against chronic diseases. [Read more]( Telecommunications [Record-breaking fiber transmits 20x global internet traffic per second]( [A new optical fiber system has shattered the data transmission speed record]( Everybody wants a faster internet connection, and now engineers in Japan have shattered the record for data transmission. The team managed to transmit more than 20 times the global internet traffic per second through a single optical fiber. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [Rare study on identical twins confirms vegan diet's broad health boost]( [The plant-based diet came out well ahead of a healthy omnivore eating plan]( Eating less meat is known to be good for heart health, but studies have been hampered by confounding factors such as genetics and background. Now, 22 sets of twins on 'healthy' meat and plant-based diets provide us with the best comparative data yet. [Read more]( Outdoors [Best Leatherman ever to tiny titanium: Top multitools of 2023]( [The uniquely colored Leatherman Garage Batch 005 40th Anniversary Tool special edition didn't make our list, but its immediate successor did]( Multitools have always been a popular topic, and that didn't change in 2023. It was a pivotal year for multitool design, seeing the birth of what Leatherman calls its best ever. See what other multitools captured the imagination in 2023. [Read more]( Wearables [SmartHat may be the Swiss Army knife of safety helmets]( [The SmartHat features a gas sensor, walkie-talkie, dual cameras and more]( On modern worksites, workers are typically required to carry – or even wear – quite a few electronic devices. The SmartHat is designed to make things easier, by packing a head-load of gadgets into a single safety helmet. [Read more]( Biology [New dolphin super power discovered]( [Once thought to be vestigal, tiny pits on the snouts of dolphins have turned out to be an important part of how they sense the world]( Already armed with an impressive sonar system, new research reveals that dolphins have an extra ability that evolves as they mature in the area where their baby whiskers once were. The super sense may help them navigate and find hidden food sources. [Read more]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at [newatlas.com]( (or [gizmag.com]( before August 2016). [Update profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( Copyright New Atlas © 2022