Features

In-depth analysis and opinion from the worlds of science and emerging technology.

  • Lessons to be learned as Ukraine war shifts defense priorities

    February 26, 2023
    Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the fighting for the past year has not only overturned our preconceptions, it's given a powerful kick to innovation in military and civilian spheres. New Atlas looks at how the war is set to affect technology for decades.
  • Ukraine gets NATO main battle tanks. Will it change the tide of the war?

    January 29, 2023
    The United States, Britain, and Germany have agreed to supply Ukraine with main battle Tanks to aid its resistance to Russia's invasion. What are these tanks, will they turn the tide of the war, and in which direction? New Atlas takes a look.
  • Invasion of Ukraine shows artillery still rules the battlefield

    November 20, 2022
    The ongoing war in Ukraine is rewriting the playbook on infantry tactics and strategy in a paradoxical way as the conflict has devolved from high-tech 21st century warfare into an old-fashioned artillery duel.
  • The modern satellites shaping the course of climate science

    November 09, 2022
    The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957. Fast forward to 2022, and we are now launching more than a thousand satellites each year, propelling the field of Earth science into unprecedented terrain.
  • Shredded masks and broken glass: Green ingredients for better concrete

    September 02, 2022
    Even slight adjustments to how we make cement and concrete can have a big impact on their environmental footprint, and as research continues to show, scientists working in this space are not short of ideas.
  • What do we really know about microplastics and human health?

    August 19, 2022
    Tiny fragments of plastic are now strewn across the entire globe and are beginning to show up in different parts of the human body. But what are the health risks associated with ingesting and inhaling this now omnipresent synthetic material?
  • The game-changing Buck 110 Folding Hunter knife

    April 17, 2022
    In 1964, the Buck Knives company marketed its 110 Folding Hunter knife, which changed the knife-making industry forever by introducing a revolutionary folding blade that locked into place so strongly it performed like a fixed-blade sheath knife.
  • Generation IV, the future of nuclear power

    April 15, 2022
    Although nuclear power remains controversial, new reactors are being built in surprising numbers and these will provide the second largest share of the world’s carbon-free energy. It's also an industry undergoing rapid change as new technology comes on line. So, what will nuclear power look like in the decades to come?
  • The Comet, the 707, and the disaster that shaped the Jet Age

    February 17, 2022
    In 1952, Britain won the race to put the world's first jet airliner into service, but it turned out to be a hollow victory. Disasters, delays, and an unlikely American rival upended British ambitions and reshaped the early years of the Jet Age.
  • The year in space 2021

    December 29, 2021
    With helicopters on Mars, private crewed missions, robotic probes flying into the Sun's atmosphere, and Captain Kirk boldly going to the final frontier, 2021 was a bumper year in space exploration. Here's a look at the top stories in the Cosmos.
  • Is thorium the future of nuclear power?

    December 28, 2021
    Unless you're really into trivia about gas lanterns and the mantles that make their light so bright, you've probably never heard of thorium, but you may hear a lot more about it in the future. This unassuming metal could one day rival uranium as the nuclear fuel of choice.
  • The year in science 2021

    December 28, 2021
    Tardigrades shot from a gun, the world's largest offshore wind turbines, nuclear fusion records, radical new materials, and potty-trained cows ... here's a look back at the incredible stories science served up in 2021.
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