Fire

In a peer-reviewed paper recently published in Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, researchers bring together testable claims from a number of different fields to argue that the conditions surrounding an evening fire shaped the evolution of spoken language.

The RTE FireFold is one of the slimmest, fastest packing fire pits out there. It folds more completely than others, packing slim enough to carry in a laptop bag. And it's also ready to fire up when other campfires are banned.

A traditional campfire is a lot of work, but not being allowed to have one because of a fire ban is even worse. A new propane-based alternative on Kickstarter promises to keep you warm when a wood fire isn’t an option.

After packaging full fire-starting capabilities neatly inside a 2-oz (57-g) capsule that doubled as a high-pitched whistle, Outdoor Element is now integrating that same spark-flicking capability into a more useful everyday tool: the common pen.

The average $2 Bic lighter is great for lighting up a cigarette but not as great for lighting campfires or grills. Minnesota startup Radlight has an intriguing alternative for such outdoorsy tasks ... and for fending off hypothermia when things go south.

Beneath a concrete overpass amid the bustling hub of Causeway Bay, you'll find a bizarre and enduring tradition in Hong Kong – "villain hitting." Here, elderly women perform an elaborate ritual that involves bashing a name written on paper with a shoe.

Hyundai has donated four super-tough unmanned robotic vehicles to firefighters in Korea for use in high-risk situations. The autonomous vehicles will deal with the initial stages of a fire to provide more information and safety to firefighters.

This new piece of camping kit is designed to not only make it way easier to start a fire, but also keep your site free of smoke. That means you can comfortably enjoy the warmth from the flames, and even get a cookout going with minimal effort.

Firefighters could soon have a formidable ally in their daunting task of entering buildings set ablaze: specialized drones that can handle the heat from live flames and relay visuals to help them assess the situation.

Living on the coast, I enjoy driftwood bonfires that keep you warm enough to sit out on a stony British beach after sundown year-round. The portable Packfire is like an ultra-sophisticated version of making a fire in an old oil drum or trash can.

As part of its 3-part DIY home wildfire protection kit, Safe Soss has patented an innovative spray bottle that connects to a standard garden hose to disperse a fireproofing spray that becomes a fertilizer to promote regrowth.

The Fire Maple Antarcti Gas Fire Pit is a fire bowl so collapsible you can carry it in a backpack. It runs on the same style of tiny gas canister as a backpacking stove, making it the lightest, most portable gas fire pit you're likely to encounter.