Science, Tech, Outdoor & Innovation News

Transformable winter footwear morphs from snowshoes to mini skis

January 09, 2026 | Maryna Holovnova
Wintertime offers plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors: skiing, snowshoeing , or hiking. The only problem is that each of these activities requires its own specialized set of gear. But what if a single piece of equipment could do it all?

Sub-$40,000 personal eVTOL could be in buyers' hands later this year

January 08, 2026 | Ben Coxworth
Ever since its launch in 2021, the Jetson One has looked like it might be the first personal eVTOL to reach consumers. If Chinese company Rictor is to be believed, however, its similar X4 should ship later this year – and at a fraction of the price.

Super tough phone reaches farther into the dark void

January 09, 2026 | Paul Ridden
There are a bunch of dedicated devices that literally lift the veil of darkness to reveal a secret nocturnal world. Some rugged phones can do this too, but Fossibot reckons that none have the reach and clarity of its recently launched F113.

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For decades, the Mitsubishi Delica has proven itself a rugged, reliable base van for mini-camper vans and pint-sized adventure vans. And now it's joined by an even smaller Delica camper van, the purely kei-size Delica Mini Pop micro-camper
This striking metal-finish tiny house provides a spacious interior while remaining road-legal. Named the Wilhite, it also has an unusual "upside-down" layout that places the bedroom downstairs and the living room upstairs.
What was announced as a 2050 pipe dream by Kawasaki, the company's hydrogen-powered, four-hooved, all-terrain robot horse vehicle Corleo is actually going into production and is now expected to be commercially available within a few years.
The all-new Backcountry series from Gazelle Tents gets ruggedized with a heavy-duty, 4-season design built to camp comfortably from sweltering desert basins to high-alpine snow drifts ... and all stops in between.
In a landmark shift in how mental health conditions are treated in the near future, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first at-home brain-stimulation device that can rapidly relieve moderate to severe depression symptoms.
VW’s ID.UNYX sub-brand has adopted an “in China, for China” strategy, and the new ID.Unyx 08 carries that baton forward as an electric SUV built exclusively for the Chinese market – meaning readers in the West can’t get one – which is a bit of a bummer.

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Last year, Subaru surpassed Toyota and Lexus to become the most reliable carmaker according to Consumer Reports. This year, Toyota reclaims its crown. And there’s one damning stat: Four out of the top five most reliable car brands this year are Japanese.
In the South China Sea, the aqua-colored waters of an expansive shallow reef platform suddenly gives way to a near vertical shaft of vast darkness – an ocean sinkhole almost entirely devoid of oxygen and, in turn, marine life as we know it.
High on sheer cliffs in China, ancient coffins are wedged into rock faces hundreds of feet above the ground. These dramatic burials, now re-examined using ancient DNA, point to a broader practice where disparate cultures all had their own "sky graves."
For nearly a century, a strange band of 5,200 holes carved into a hillside has defied explanation. Stretching for nearly a mile along the edge of the Pisco Valley, Monte Serpe – "serpent mountain" – may have finally revealed its secrets to scientists.
A team of Australian bodyboarding ratbags has managed to capture staggering footage of an extraordinary oceanic phenomenon: a place where four 12-ft (3.7-m) waves regularly converge into an oval dip, with explosive results.
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.