NEW TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE NEWS

Although the electric VTOL market is beginning to reach adolescence, there are still plenty of designs coming in from way out of left field, hoping to disrupt the market with all sorts of interesting approaches. Here are 10 of our favorites.

Fossil fuel tankers that transport oil, gas and coal across the seas play an important part in the global energy mix, but one Japanese startup is eyeing a future where these types of vessels carry a much cleaner load – energy from offshore wind farms.

Engineers at Dartmouth College have developed a new crystal structure that can stretch to twice its size when it encounters a specific chemical. The team says that the material could be used to selectively absorb impurities in water.

Rocket Lab has unveiled its concept for a new reusable launch vehicle called Neutron. Looking like something a Bond villain would deploy, it carries its second stage inside a permanently attached captive “Hungry Hippo” fairing design.

NASA has monitored potentially hazardous asteroids for decades, but some factors couldn't be accounted for. The new Sentry-II system has now gone online, allowing astronomers to calculate the orbits and impact chances of asteroids far more precisely.

New research out of China has uncovered a natural compound in grape seeds that takes aim at dysfunctional senescent cells, and demonstrated how it can extend the lifespan of aging mice by more than nine percent.

Solar panels continuously accumulate dust, plus they're often located atop tall buildings or in remote areas – this means that they need to be cleaned, but doing so is difficult. That's why a drone-based setup is now being developed to do the job.

Earlier this year, we heard how two separate groups had developed the world's first lab-grown rib-eye steak and Waygu beef. Israeli startup MeaTech 3D is now joining their ranks, with a "cultivated steak" of its own.

If corals are going to survive on today's ecologically stressed reefs, they've gotta be tough. Scientists have therefore been developing a special "turbo-charged" coral, which has recently been found to be reproducing on the Great Barrier Reef.

If you're a city dweller, then your daily trip to work is likely relatively short. UK startup Maeving is looking to get you there without contributing to local pollution levels, and in retro style, with the launch of the RM1 electric cafe racer.

Anyone who uses a smartphone will be familiar with NFC technology, which is used for such things as contactless payments. To demonstrate the versatility of the technology when combined with printed circuitry, Prelonic has created the Paper Piano.

Florida's Triton Submarines has created "the world's first submersibles with a free-form acrylic hull." It's pitching the new nine-seat 660/9 as a unique underwater experience venue for weddings, fine dining, casino-style gambling or cocktails.