Technology, Innovation & Outdoor News

3-sided zipper from 1980s gets reborn in flexible/rigid form-shifting tech

May 22, 2026 | Shirl Leigh
A patent filed in 1985 is being dusted off as a source of inspiration for a new 3D-printed triangular-shaped zipper that seamlessly fastens chairs, tents, robots and purses, making them simpler to pack and set up just with a press of a button.

Africa's tallest tower rises with a mask-inspired design

May 21, 2026 | Stefan Ionescu
La Tour F, a 76‑story skyscraper in Abidjan, will soon be Africa’s tallest tower at 421 m. Designed by Pierre Fakhoury, it combines government offices, public access, and green certification, symbolizing modern efficiency and cultural identity.

Tiny house keeps things small and simple with single-level layout

May 22, 2026 | Adam Williams
Not every tiny house needs to be the size of an apartment to feel comfortable and livable. The Algarve embraces the simple side of small living with a single-level layout and lots of glazing that helps open the home up to the outside.

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Not everyone is cut out for climbing into cramped tiny house loft bedrooms. The Tallebudgera addresses this with a spacious layout suitable for full-time living that's arranged on a single floor.
Nissan keeps the factory camper vans coming. Its newest is built atop its smallest van, the Clipper kei van, which measures in under 3.4 meters (11.2 feet) long. To make it a micro-camper, Nissan relies on a basic household staple with which everyday DIY handymen have been familiar for ages: pegboard. The van's integrated peg panels serve as a simple, affordable means of holding up the bed and providing highly versatile storage organization for related (and unrelated) outdoor adventures.
The Byron Bay tiny house is a spacious model that's centered around an open kitchen and living area. The towable home also has multiple upgrades available, including an off-grid setup, and would be a good fit for small families.
CycloKinetics, a US propellant company, has unveiled a new family of superfuels for aircraft, missiles, and rockets that increase fuel performance by 32%. Aimed at the defense market, the fuels could allow vehicles to fly farther while carrying heavier payloads.
Winnebago's latest launch is its most ruggedly luxurious yet. Picking up where the Revel and Ekko leave off, the Arka truck camper is prepared to spend 2 full weeks at a time in the deep, dusty backcountry. Just don't expect a spa bathroom.
What better place to pull the covers off of your latest and greatest pocket camera than the Cannes Film Festival? DJI has done just that, unveiling the Osmo Pocket 4P on one of the most prestigious stages in global filmmaking.

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Health and Science news from our sister site: Refractor
Prebiotic sodas are marketed as gut-friendly alternatives to sugary soft drinks. Now, a small study suggests one may also produce lower short-term glucose spikes than Coca-Cola, but the study comes with some noteworthy limitations.
Can spending more time engaging with the arts, such as visiting galleries, museums, singing, or painting, really lead to a longer and healthier life?
For years, bees were among our readers' favorite animals we covered, but then people seemed to switch off. Maybe it was tall poppy syndrome – bees love these nectar treasure chests – but this week we lead a charge to build up their buzz again.
Domesticated from a now-extinct ox species around 10,500 years ago, cows have become a major source of protein, dairy, and leather worldwide. A study has now shown that cows can differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar faces.
A new study shows that some plants can enrich themselves by absorbing the essential minerals from dust through their leaves, forming an underexplored pathway that plays a major role in plant nutrition in nutrient-poor and dust-affected ecosystems.
The importance of bees for pollinating wild plants and crops is well known. If we lose the bees, we lose our food. But this is only part of the picture.

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Editor's Picks

As it heads out of the solar system never to return, the deep space probe Voyager 1 is headed for yet another cosmic milestone. In late 2026, it will become the first spacecraft to travel so far that a radio signal from Earth takes 24 hours, or one light day, to reach it.
The Tesla Cybertruck has done what very few modern-day vehicles have been able to achieve – become one of the most recognizable cars on the road. However, Tesla has a major issue on its hands: Its angular electric pickup isn't selling in the numbers it had hoped for.
The new Auriga Explorer camper truck looks almost as fast and ferocious as a Dakar rig. But it's made for slow travel, the kind that sees you link together wandering days with cozy nights in a mobile 4-person hut expanded by pop-top and 3 slide-outs.
Globally, stomach cancer is on the rise in young people, but new research shows that three-quarters of future cases could be prevented by screening for and treating a common bacterial infection: Helicobacter pylori.
Having a Swiss Army knife is all fun and games until you find yourself wanting to see in the dark, start a fire, drink water straight from a stream, or heck, even charge your phone. Enter the Lifesaber.
Some of the most intriguing videos on the internet aren't "viral sensations" … instead, they lurk deep beneath YouTube's placid surface. A wonderfully weird little film known as Mary Worth – the Movie definitely fits in the latter category.
In a new study, researchers identified a molecule produced by a particular type of brain cell that reversed the cognitive decline seen in both healthy aging and dementia. It provides a better understanding of aging and a potential treatment target.
Once famous for building the world's biggest and most powerful engines, Finnish company Wärtsilä is investing heavily in technology to clean up the notoriously difficult heavy marine sector. CEO Håkan Agnevall lays out a roadmap to zero carbon 2050.