Features
In-depth analysis and opinion from the worlds of science and emerging technology.
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Will AI need a body to come close to human-like intelligence?
June 29, 2025 | Starre VartanRoboticists today are wrestling with the question of whether AI needs a body? If so, what kind? And then there’s the “how” of it all; if embodied intelligence is the way forward to true artificial general intelligence, could soft robots be the next step? -
Wärtsilä's 6.5-part plan to decarbonize global shipping by 2050
June 21, 2025 | Loz BlainOnce 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. -
Quaise demos maser drill bit to go deeper than humans have ever gone
May 29, 2025 | Joe SalasDrill bits are out, death rays are in. On May 21, 2025, New Atlas hit up Quaise Energy’s literal groundbreaking demo in Houston, Texas where a mm-wave maser melted rock to unlock the deepest, hottest, cleanest energy anywhere. -
The Streetwing: a flying car for true adventure seekers
May 07, 2025 | Joe SalasThe word "flying car" immediately puts visions of "The World of Tomorrow" in my head; retro-looking flashy contraptions. If you were to ask Dezső Molnár what his vision of a flying car looked like, he'd simply show you the one he's building now. -
'Spark of Life' demo puts quantum chips in control of AI robot
April 27, 2025 | Loz BlainUltra-deep tech startup Nirvanic put on a fairly humble-looking robotics demo at Jeff Bezos's private MARS 2025 conference – but it may go down as a landmark moment both in AI robotics, and in our understanding of consciousness itself. -
Facebook isn’t eavesdropping, but the truth is more disturbing
April 24, 2025 | Rich HaridyLast year a longstanding conspiracy was reignited, telling the tale of how your smartphone is listening to your conversations and delivering targeted ads, but it still isn't true and the way you actually get your ads is much more unsettling. -
LSD microdosing for ADHD: Does it work?
April 03, 2025 | Rich HaridyA landmark clinical trial testing the effect of microdosing LSD on symptoms of ADHD recently delivered its first data readout and the results have been surprising, to say the least, raising questions over the efficacy of this popular trend. -
Ghost in the machine: The race toward conscious, sentient AI
January 22, 2025 | Loz BlainAs science wrestles with the thorny job of proving, defining and understanding human consciousness, one pioneering startup aims to apply cutting-edge theories of consciousness to AI models – and create the first sentient AI. This is wild stuff. -
Brilliantly innovative on-demand transit system set to open in 2026
January 15, 2025 | Loz BlainThis is not your grandad's cable car gondola. Born of an amusement ride and opening to the public in 2026, this remarkably clever kiwi idea offers quick, cheap, on-demand urban transit – that's much more direct and private than public transport. -
Nuclear waste: What is it and how do we dispose of it?
December 28, 2024 | David SzondyNuclear waste. We've all heard about it but what exactly is it and why is it so important? How big is the problem and is it a problem without a solution? New Atlas takes a look at the basics. -
Holodeck watch: Real-time volumetric video takes a giant leap
December 16, 2024 | Loz BlainImagine a next-gen VR experience that lets you speak realistic scenes, intelligent characters and complex situations into being, then interact with them in real time. It's coming, due to a convergence of tech like this advance in real-time 3D video. -
'Self-assembling' electronics: A wild new manufacturing process
December 03, 2024 | Loz BlainA remarkable proof-of-concept project has successfully manufactured nanoscale diodes and transistors using a fast, cheap new production technique in which liquid metal is directed to self-assemble into precise 3D structures.
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