Science, Tech, Outdoor & Innovation News

Britain's DragonFire laser weapon upped the ante on November 20 at the Ministry of Defence's Hebrides Range in Scotland when the high-powered, solid-state laser for the Royal Navy shot down drones flying at 351 knots (404 mph, 650 km/h).

At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking this neat little structure is a tiny house, but it's actually a sauna. Named the Aquila Sauna, it runs fully off-grid and allows up to six people to get their sweat on.

In the first US study looking at whether the recommended fluoride levels in drinking water affects brain function, researchers have found that the hot-button mineral has no negative impacts on cognition – and may actually be giving it a boost.

While lithium extraction technologies generally focus on ways to get the essential metal out of the ground, there's another source to mine: existing batteries that no longer work. A new technique could now make that process economically viable.

After a rather slow 2024, 2025 saw more multitool debuts than we could keep up with. Our favorites included a reimagining of Leatherman's most popular, a skeletal Swiss Army knife, and a Gerber campsite classic that starts fires.

The Stickerbox turns your child's wildest ideas – like a lizard riding a skateboard – into printed stickers they can tear off immediately and color in using regular pencils and crayons. It's basically generative AI and a printer, and it's genius.

It may surprise some to learn that Polaris has a serious research, development, and testing facility. I got a full tour of the place, along with a dedicated test track that I got to use later.

Putting greenery on skyscrapers is one of the better architectural trends as far as we're concerned. MVRDV's latest project leans into the idea with a Gaudí-inspired plant-filled tower that provides city dwellers with a daily dose of nature.

On a remote reef, endless streams of bubbles rise from cracks in the seabed into the shallow water, fed by an underground volcanic system. For scientists, this phenomenon has become a kind of crystal ball, revealing the changes that await marine life.

Taiwan's Tern Bicycles has listened to its customers and delivered a belt-drive Vektron folding ebike as part of the fourth-generation rollout in the US, which also includes a regular chain-driven flavor that offers a sportier ride.