BAE Systems wants to grow military aircraft in chemical vats

[AIRCRAFT] [BAE Systems wants to grow military aircraft in chemical vats] With design work already starting on next-generation fighters for the 2040s, BAE Systems and the University of Glasgow are looking at a faster, cheaper way to produce unmanned air vehicles (UAV), where they aren't constructed, but grown in computer-controlled chemical vats in a matter weeks.[Read more] [COMPUTERS] [Room-sized Megaprocessor sheds light on the secret life of microchips] The chip-packed boards within modern electronic devices are a mystery to most people. In an effort to make it easier to understand how these marvels of modern engineering actually work, engineer James Newman​ has built a room-sized computer he calls the Megaprocessor​.[Read more] [AROUND THE HOME] ["Wearable" for plants to let you converse with a chrysanthemum] Houseplants have never been known as great conversationalists, but it’s possible we just can’t hear what they’re saying. A company in the UK, Vivent, is hoping to rectify that with a device that picks up the tiny electrical signals emitted by plants and broadcasts them through a speaker.[Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Mercedes and Brabus team up on slightly less sedate Smart] Brabus is best known for producing ultra-powerful versions of AMG Mercedes sports cars, but the tuning house also has experience making Smart cars slightly faster than they were before. In keeping with that tradition, the latest Smart Brabus packs a 109-hp three-cylinder under its boot floor.[Read more] [BIOLOGY] [Researchers remake Pac-Man on a microscopic scale] ​Pac-Man’s been around for 36 years now, and in that time he’s had his fair share of remakes and reboots, but he’s never inspired anything on this scale. That’s because said scale is microscopic, with the entire game taking place in a maze less than 1 mm wide, populated by predatory microbes.[Read more] [OUTDOORS] [GoSun solar stove serves up summer hot dogs] Two things that scream "American summer!" are the bright, hot sun and hot dogs cooking under it. The new GoSun Solar Dogger ties those two even closer. A slimmer, more portable GoSun cooker, the Solar Dogger harnesses the power of the sun to cook hot dogs, sausages and other compact, tubular foods.[Read more] [MOBILE TECHNOLOGY] [OnePlus 3 vs. iPhone 6s Plus] The OnePlus 3​ and iPhone 6s Plus​ are about as different as two flagship smartphones can be. One crams a surprisingly high-end spec sheet into an aggressively low price; the other relies on brand recognition to use sky-high profit margins. Read on, as we compare their features and specs.[Read more] [ENVIRONMENT] [Bees suffer from pollution confusion, says new study] A new study from Penn State finds that air pollution is having a dramatic effect on bees' pollination habits.[Read more] [HEALTH & WELLBEING] [Protein manipulates neurons to bring on the munchies] A new study shows that the protein AMPK regulates the neurons in the brain responsible for making you feel hungry. The findings may have implications in the treatment of obesity.[Read more] [URBAN TRANSPORT] [Helsinki to Stockholm by Hyperloop – in less than half an hour?] Hyperloop One, the proposed faster-than-airplane transport system, has presented a study highlighting the economic feasibility and benefits of creating a route between the Finnish capital, Helsinki, and the Swedish capital, Stockholm. [Read more] [MEDICAL] [Using gelatin to bulk up "muscles-on-a-chip"] ​Growing muscle for lab-based testing is a tough process, and previous attempts to do so – making use of plastic scaffolds – have failed to produce fully-formed muscle fibers. Now, a team from USC has taken a different approach, using a water-logged gel, or “hydrogel,” as a scaffold.[Read more] [MOBILE TECHNOLOGY] [Huawei MateBook vs. 12-inch MacBook] A Surface-inspired 2-in-1 might not seem like an obvious rival to Apple's 12-inch Macbook​, but once you get past the different form factors, there's quite a bit of overlap. Let's compare the Huawei MateBook​ and 12-inch Retina MacBook.[Read more] [ARCHITECTURE] [Rooftop cabins create homes out of thin air] With the ultimate goal of providing affordable homes in cities where living space is increasingly at a premium, a German company is shooting for the moon by landing on the rooftops. Cabin Spacey's small, prefab shelters are designed to be installed on top of buildings, or in other unused sites.[Read more] [ROBOTICS] [Robotic glove tech developed for space station finds use on terra firma] A robotic glove that was originally designed for use on the ISS has been licensed for use back home, where it could be put to work helping manufacturing workers. Developed in partnership between GM and NASA, the RoboGlove is designed to provide the user with extra gripping strength.[Read more] [BIOLOGY] [Odd pupils could be key to camouflage trick of colorblind octopi and squid] The way in which cephalopds like cuttlefish and octopi can pull off their camouflage trick despite being colorblind has been a source of speculation for scientists for some time. Now, a father and son scientific team believes they've cracked the mystery – and is has to do with some odd pupils.[Read more] [COLLECTIBLES] [First published book on heliocentric theory heads for auction] A work of considerable scientific gravitas will auction on July 13, 2016, in London when the first printed book to propose that the Earth revolved around the Sun, De Libris Revolutionum Eruditissimi Viridoctoris, goes under the auctioneer's hammer.[Read more] [ARCHITECTURE] [Small in size, small in cost: AIA's Small Project Awards] The AIA recently revealed the winners of its annual Small Project Awards. Shining a light on projects that are small in stature and relatively small in cost, outstanding winners include a self-propelled floating sauna, a colorful girl scouts' camp, and a dental service shoehorned into a trailer.[Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Ferrari drops the top on the stunning LaFerrari] As if the LaFerrari needed to be made any more an object of desire, Ferrari has now released images of a new soft-top version of its hybrid hypercar. The new limited edition special series is aimed at clients and collectors and was sold out even before it was publicly revealed.[Read more] [MUSIC] [Master Enhancer brings big stage sound to any earphones] The m.e. pocket audio booster is designed to make audio bigger, clearer and more defined, no matter what gear you have in (or on) your ears. The listening experience is said to be like sitting in the front row of a live concert.[Read more] [MOTORCYCLES] [Ducati gifts itself the Panigale 1299 S Anniversario] Most people don’t bother buying themselves a birthday present, instead leaving the gifting to close friends and family members. Things work a bit differently in the world of bikes, a point proven by Ducati’s 1299 Panigale S Anniversario.[Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Ford Raptor packs in Baja mode for off-road shenanigans] As traction control, engine mapping and suspension systems get smarter, it's become possible to change a car's character on the fly. In the Ford F-150 Raptor, those modes will let you turn your road-going truck into everything from a rock-crawler to a wannabe Baja racer. [Read more] [MATERIALS] [Shaky plastic may give solar power a boost] Scientists have created a thin polymer film that oscillates when exposed to sunlight, which could be used as a coating on photovoltaic panels in dusty locations such as deserts.[Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Jaguar Land Rover to roll out customized cars from F1-inspired tech center] Jaguar Land Rover yesterday fully opened a new £20 million (US$25.9 million) Technical Centre in Coventry, UK. The facility is the new headquarter of its Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) arm, which was launched in 2014, and is said to have been inspired by a Formula 1 engineering center.[Read more] [GOOD THINKING] [New gadget brings foot-flushing to home toilets] Toilet Foot. It might sound like a disease you get from walking barefoot in dodgy bathrooms but, in fact, it's a new invention that lets you convert any home toilet into one that can be flushed with a foot pedal. It's now raising funds – and a few eyebrows – on Kickstarter.[Read more] [ARCHITECTURE] [Why take the stairs when there's a glass slide outside?] Pushing yourself out over the edge of a building may not seem like the wisest of ideas, but at the US Bank Tower in Los Angeles, US, you can now pay to do just that. As part of the new OUE Skyspace LA observation deck, a glass "Skyslide" has been installed on the side of the building.[Read more] [SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR GIZMAG READERS] [Trick Out Your Computer with the Ultimate PC Bundle: 10 Premium Apps for Under $40] Boost your productivity on your PC with 8 apps that will target specific areas of your workflow, and make them better. From Internet surfing, to backing up your files, to photo editing, to website creating, everything you do on your PC will be done with the highest level of efficiency.[Read more] You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at www.gizmag.com. 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