New Atlas

Science Audio available

Animal-adhered data patch gets smaller and better

Ben Coxworth April 22, 2019

It was just last year that we heard about the Marine Skin patch, a flexible data-tracking device that can be temporarily adhered to marine creatures. Well, its designers have now come out with a version that's smaller, more sensitive, and capable of going much deeper.

The new version of Marine Skin can be glued directly to the animal's skin, or it ...

Biology

Great white shark genome has been sequenced, revealing clues to longevity and cancer resistance

Michael Irving February 18, 2019

To many of us, the great white shark is a mysterious and scary creature from the deep – but now it’s a little less mysterious. Scientists have sequenced the entire genome of the great white shark, revealing a few clues as to how these animals are so good at healing wounds and resisting cancer.

The genome of the great white shark has been sequenced

Marine

Furrion parts the seas with AI-powered "world's smartest yacht"

C.C. Weiss January 10, 2019

The Nevada desert is not the place you'd expect to find the world's most intelligent yacht, but that's exactly where she's docked right now. The first ever yacht to appear at CES, the US$5 million Furrion Adonis provides luxury and convenience above and beyond other yachts.

Furrion says the Adonis is the first yacht to ever be displayed at CES

Environment Audio available

Earth is "drinking" more seawater through the Mariana Trench than previously thought

Michael Irving November 14, 2018

A new study suggests that the mantle is home to much more water than was previously believed. Seismic activity around the Mariana Trench have revealed that subducting tectonic plates are dragging more water deeper into the Earth, which could change our understanding of the global water cycle.

Seismic activity at the Mariana plate is dragging far more water into the Earth's mantle than ...

Computers

Microsoft deploys underwater data center off the coast of Scotland

Michael Irving June 6, 2018

Water-cooling systems have long been used in computers, but how do you scale that up for huge data centers? According to Microsoft, you drop the data center to the bottom of the ocean. As Phase 2 of Project Natick, the company has just deployed a data center in the frigid waters off Scotland.

Microsoft has submerged a data center in the ocean off the coast of Scotland

Biology

Seafaring people of Southeast Asia have evolved to dive deeper

Michael Irving April 22, 2018

Evolution is such a gradual process that it can be easy to think it’s not still happening. Now, researchers have discovered a striking example of natural selection at work in humans: a seafaring population of people with a mutation that allows them to dive deeper and hold their breath longer.

The Bajau people of Southeast Asia spend much of their time diving, and new research has ...

Marine

Aquabotix unleashes swarming, swimming, autonomous robots

Michael Irving April 8, 2018

Swarms of insects and schools of fish have inspired engineers to create groups of robots that move as one entity, and now Aquabotix has unleashed SwarmDiver, a series of small synchronized swimmers loaded with sensors for defense, research or monitoring applications.

Aquabotix has unveiled SwarmDiver – swarming, swimming robots that can be controlled as one entity

Marine

HydroHouse houseboat, dock and seaplane mooring is transportable by land

Mike Hanlon March 22, 2018

Naval architect Maxim Zhivov and Baikal Yachts have come up with this combination houseboat, dock and seaplane mooring, and the entire thing is transportable by truck, meaning that it really does offer a relocatable lifestyle for pilots and water enthusiasts.

Naval architect Maxim Zhivov and the Baikal Yacht Group have come up with the HydroHouse, an ...

Marine

Giant octopus and historic ship combine to create new coral ecosystem

Rich Haridy October 23, 2017

What happens when you purposely sink an historic WWII ship with a large scale sculpture of a giant octopus? A new fascinating marine experiment blending art and coral reef planting dubbed The Maverick BVI Art Reef.

Marine

Carbon fiber Slingshot jets onto the powered board scene

Scott Collie October 5, 2017

The promise of a powered wakeboard is exciting, but there's no consensus on the best way to bring that vision to life. Some companies will tell you electric power is the solution, but Mako doesn't share that vision. Instead of volts, the Mako Slingshot relies on jet power for on-water thrills.

A rider takes flight aboard the Mako Slingshot