Lifestyle
The latest news on health, home innovation, design, architecture and outdoor living.
Ineos Grenadier Raidbox camper kit kicks off new era of 4x4 micro-RVs
January 30, 2024
French supplier Capvango has introduced one of the world's first camping systems for the Ineos Grenadier. The sleek kit packs the cooking and in-vehicle sleeper capabilities adventurous souls need for a few nights out in the Highlands or Outback.
Health & Wellbeing
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Genetic variants link meat consumption to increased bowel cancer risk
March 18, 2024Researchers have identified two genetic markers that may explain the link between eating red and processed meat and bowel cancer. Understanding the disease process and the genes underlying it can help develop better prevention strategies. -
Asthma rates double from inner cities to outer suburbs. Here's why
March 13, 2024Combining census data with cutting-edge statistical analysis and satellite imagery, researchers have revealed a stark difference between inner- and outer-city living in terms of the risk children have of developing asthma. -
Magnetite pollution is damaging our brains and causing Alzheimer's
March 06, 2024In 2016 researchers found unusually high levels of magnetite in a number of human brain samples. The tiny toxic particle can be found in modern urban air pollution and is now suspected to be one environmental contributor to Alzheimer's disease.
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Outdoors
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"World's lightest" rooftop tent diets down to skin and bones
March 15, 2024With its all-new Go, Tentbox grabs the rooftop tent market's top spot for ultralight design. The Tentbox Go isn't the sleekest, fanciest car-top abode, but it sets up in under two minutes, sleeps two, and is light enough to ride atop small cars. -
Is this Bomber blade the world's fastest flippin' mini pocket knife?
March 13, 2024Billed as the "world's fastest mini pocket knife," the Speedy from Bomber and Company is a handy little flipper with fast, secure spring action. Smaller than a key fob when closed, it dangles from your keychain or slides in your slimmest pocket. -
Thermos-sized survival beacon launches SOS balloon 150 feet overhead
March 12, 2024The wilderness can instantly leave you stranded and in desperate need of rescue. Airmarker debuts a new survival beacon that can triumph where others fail, sending up a visual indicator of the victim's exact location, without battery or connectivity.
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Tiny Houses
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These five 'tiny houses' are more like luxury apartments on wheels
March 14, 2024Tiny houses have evolved beyond their humble DIY roots, with some designers creating huge towable homes that are like luxury apartments on wheels. New Atlas takes a closer look at five of the best recent examples. -
Video: Central porch splits plus-sized tiny house in two
March 11, 2024The Pisgah Park Model is arranged so that its living and sleeping areas are situated either side of a central porch, offering a sense of separation between the two and allowing its owners to embrace an indoor-outdoor lifestyle. -
Video tour showcases flexible tiny house big enough for parties
March 07, 2024One of the challenges when living in a tiny house is that there's no space to host guests. The Honeylion, by Modern Tiny living, addresses this issue with clever space-saving furniture and a flexible layout.
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Architecture
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Plastic fantastic: Indian home integrates over 6,000 discarded toys
March 18, 2024India's Toy Storey showcases an unorthodox approach to recycling, with the residence incorporating approximately 6,200 unwanted toys into its exterior. It also has an attractive overall form that maximizes ventilation and shade. -
Extraordinary blocky tower stacks buildings within a building
March 15, 2024Described as "buildings within a building" by BIG, the recently completed Epiq takes the form of a series of stacked blocks. The tower's unusual design is well-suited to the local climate and maximizes outdoor space and views. -
Armadillo-like stadium hits a home run in Las Vegas
March 12, 2024Over the years, we've seen architects create stadiums that take all sorts of unlikely forms. This upcoming ballpark by BIG might top them all, however, with its unusual curving metallic exterior likened by the firm to a "spherical armadillo."
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Around the Home
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Segway cooks AI smarts into latest mowbot for effortless lawn care
March 04, 2024Tending a garden is an enjoyable way to spend a sunny afternoon, but mowing the lawn is too much of a chore. Robot helpers have been on hand for decades, and the latest from Segway taps into AI for dual mapping and positioning chops. -
Transformable seat quickly grows from armchair to loveseat to sofa
February 21, 2024The Expandy is a single piece of furniture that can be expanded width-wise to serve three purposes. Simply by pulling on it from one end, users are able to convert it from an armchair to a loveseat to a sofa. -
USDA approves stunning bioluminescent "firefly petunias" for sale
February 12, 2024The USDA has approved Light Bio's "Firefly Petunias," and the company is taking US$29 pre-orders on these remarkable gene-edited houseplants. They glow in the dark, making them a captivating home decor addition for science buffs.
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Good Thinking
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Video: Heat-gun-toting robot could create bespoke clothing on the cheap
March 09, 2024Custom-fit clothing is usually quite expensive, but perhaps it doesn't have to be. MIT's 4D Knit Dress is an example of a new type of clothing that a robot could selectively shrink to fit the wearer, perhaps right in the store. -
BMW is building high-tech footwear for the German bobsleigh team
March 07, 2024There's only a few seconds of running in a bobsleigh heat, but one slip can skittle the whole team. Seeing the need for high-performance ice sport footwear, BMW has jumped in to build custom, 3D-printed traction aids for the 2025 Winter Olympics. -
Video: Eco-friendlier offshore fish farm sinks to ride out storms
March 07, 2024A new type of storm-resistant fish farm could make aquaculture operations more eco-friendly. The submersible structure is designed to stay in the deep waters of the open ocean, where it should have less environmental impact than shore-adjacent pens.
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Children
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Lego pays homage to a 70s classic, the Polaroid OneStep SX-70 instant
December 15, 2023Sadly not in time for the holidays, but perhaps a treat for the new year – a project out of the Lego Ideas fan platform is about to bring the iconic OneStep SX-70 instant camera back to life through a 516-brick set. -
Review: Turing Tumble lets kids build complex marble-powered computers
November 14, 2022Minnesota company Upper Story has sent us its Turing Tumble, a fascinating educational toy that quietly tricks kids into inventing binary logic computers using nothing more than tiny marbles dropping through a series of clicky-clacky plastic pieces. -
Shark Wheel proves it's cool to be square with mini electric cars for kids
June 28, 2022Back in 2013, California-based startup Shark Wheel hit Kickstarter with a very odd-looking cube-shaped skateboard wheel. Now the company has supersized the design for a pair of funky electric cars for kids – the Shark SUV and the Shark UTV.
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Remarkable People
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Lanny Smoot: First Disney Imagineer inducted into Inventors Hall of Fame
January 21, 2024With more than 100 patents, illustrious inventor Lanny Smoot is making history as the first Disney Imagineer to be inducted into the National Engineers Hall of Fame. The only other employee from The Walt Disney Company to do so is Walt Disney himself. -
High-tech entrepreneur Brett Adcock on Figure, Archer, and early success
October 02, 2023Brett Adcock has co-founded two companies on the bleeding edges of innovation in emerging markets: Archer Aviation, in the world of eVTOL aircraft, and Figure, in humanoid robots. We look into his background, and the startup that launched it all. -
SR-71 pilot, photographer and storyteller Brian Shul dies at 75
May 21, 2023The aviation world has lost one of its brightest luminaries. Major Brian Shul was an incredible survivor and a top gun pilot – but also a gifted photographer and storyteller, whose stories about the extraordinary SR-71 Blackbird will live forever.
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Pets
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1,000 American dogs required for life extension drug trial
February 04, 2024An 11-year-old Whippet called Boo is the first dog enrolled in a study to trial a drug designed to extend the healthy lifespan of senior dogs of almost all sizes. The researchers are looking for pawticipants across the US to enroll in the study. -
ZeroMouse blocks home access to carcass-carrying kitties
November 27, 2023RFID cat flaps are great for keeping animals from wandering into your house, but they don't stop your cat from bringing dead animals into said dwelling. The ZeroMouse was designed to address that shortcoming, by blocking access to cats carrying prey. -
Fat cats: Study reveals the effects of obesity on feline digestion
November 02, 2023A new study has revealed how overeating affects a cat’s digestion and gut microbiome. The greater understanding provided by the study may help to prevent pet obesity and the health problems associated with it.
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Holiday Destinations
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"Hologram zoo" opens in Australia
July 26, 2023Axiom Holographics has opened a unique family attraction in Brisbane, Australia, a kind of augmented reality zoo built around a much larger version of Euclideon's multi-viewpoint 3D display tables and Unlimited Detail graphics engine. -
111 Resources, ideas & opportunities for people who can "work from anywhere"
March 23, 2023The collective mindset change that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have begun a societal revolution that may well return us to our nomadic origins. We've collected a list of resources available for those who can work-from-anywhere. -
Airbnb lets visitors haunt the halls of the Phantom of the Opera's home
February 21, 2023Airbnb regularly offers the chance to stay in one-of-a-kind places, and has now teamed up with Palais Garnier, the Paris opera house which inspired the Phantom of the Opera novel, to offer a night of luxury and a rare look behind the scenes.
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