Science & Tech News

The Alef Model A, created by Alef Aeronautics in San Mateo, California, is a fully electric vehicle with a mesh-covered body that conceals eight propellers that get it airborne. Once airborne, it tilts 90 degrees so that the top of the car is facing forward - and then proceeds to fly through the air at top speeds. The car, which was recently unveiled at a press event in San Mateo, California, has a driving range of 200 miles (322 km) and a flight range of 100 miles (160km). The firm is yet to reveal a test flight, however.

Proto M is a 2-foot tall box that presents livestreamed holograms of people's whole bodies as they're speaking, even when they're thousands of miles away and in another country. MailOnline had a chat with David Nussbaum, CEO of the company that created the device, while he was being beamed from his home in Los Angeles. Like something out of an episode of Black Mirror, it was just as if he'd been shrunk down to an eighth of his real size and inserted inside a box with a clear glass cover.

If the bubbles, rose petals and scented candles aren't enough to soothe you after a long day, your dream bath may be just around the corner. Scientists in Japan are developing a 'human washing machine' that cleans your body while playing a relaxing video chosen for you by artificial intelligence (AI). The ultrasonic bath will blast users with high-speed water containing extremely fine air bubbles which remove dirt from the pores. It comes from Science - an Osaka-based technology company that creates shower heads and bathtubs using this bubble technology. The product, dubbed 'Project Usoyaro', is tipped to be completed by 2024, and then debuted at the 2025 Osaka Expo. Its aim is to 'wash the mind' as well as the body by creating the most comfortable experience possible for the occupier.

Dreams has unveiled The Drift - the UK's first gaming bed featuring a built-in TV, storage for consoles and LED lights. The bed comes in three finishes - black faux leather with green piping, black faux leather with blue piping, and grey fabric with black piping. All three feature vibrant LED lights, which frame the perimeter of the bed frame and headboard.

A new ecosystem has been discovered 1,640 feet (500 metres) down in the depths of the Indian Ocean, where hungry sharks go to feast on krill. Named 'The Trapping Zone', scientists have described it as an 'oasis of life' in the midst of a 'very large ocean desert' in the Maldives. Predators such as sharks and other large fish swarm to the area to feast on a hive of small organisms known as micronekton.

This is the moment a brave paramedic flew up a hill in winds of over 30 miles per hour and heavy rain using a jet pack.It marks a new milestone for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), as this was the first time one of their team has been able to fly up a slope with the Jet Suit. The flight was part of a trial of the Jet Suit technology, with the goal of medics using it to reach patients in remote locations, like in the Lake District. Developed by inventor Richard Browning from Gravity Industries, the flying suit can reach impressive speeds of up to 85 miles per hour at more than 12,000 feet into the air. It relies on five mini jet engines, two built into units attached to each hand and one built into a backpack, which gives it a flight time of up to ten minutes. After about ten days of training, GNAAS paramedic Jamie Walsh made the flight up a short, steep ascent in adverse weather conditions, and was joined by Mr Browning. Mr Browning said: 'It is fantastic to see the progress we have delivered since the proof of concept back in 2020. It was a true privilege to fly, literally, alongside Jamie, noting how far we have come in applying Jet Suit technology in the world of medical response.'

Scientist creates tricky optical square illusion that tricks your brain into thinking it's moving by designing the shapes with luminance-based edges that activate motion-detecting neurons. As you look at the image, your eyes are seeing the lighter edges as real motion.

Halo Space, a company based in Madrid, is planning to offer zero-emission commercial flights aboard a circular capsule attached to an inflated balloon. The capsule, which will carry eight passengers plus one pilot per trip, has panoramic windows that allow 360-degree views of the Earth while at an altitude of up to 25 miles (40 kilometres).

A terrifying simulation shows how a nuclear strike from Russia could trigger a war that kills 34 million people in just five hours. Known as 'Plan A', the four-minute animation aims to highlight the 'potentially catastrophic' consequences of conflict between Russia and NATO countries. It was developed by Princeton University researchers associated with the Program on Science & Global Security (SGS), and was originally released in 2017. However, the Ukraine war has reignited discussions around the prospect of nuclear war, and renewed interest in models like this one. Dr Alex Glaser, one the creators of Plan A, told Newsweek : 'As far as one can tell, this is the most serious crisis with a potential nuclear dimension involving Russia and the United States/NATO since the end of the Cold War, even if the risk of a nuclear war is still considered 'small'-as many analysts would argue. A crisis like the one we are currently facing often results in miscommunication between parties, exacerbated by the fact that there remain very few active lines of communication between Russia and the US/NATO.'

A champagne bottle has been unveiled that can give astronauts a taste of the high life while floating around in space. The Mumm Cordon Rouge Stellar is the product of five years of development, including zero-gravity testing, from GH Mumm. It is the first bubbly to have received full compliance with space requirements certified by the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). A bottle will join the upcoming Axiom Space crewed missions into low Earth orbit, and eventually allow the astronauts to raise a glass at their space station. Designer Octave de Gaulle said: 'This project is, of course, very stimulating because of its highly technological nature and its 100 per cent French identity, from design to manufacturing. But it is also very exciting because technology serves a greater purpose here: champagne condenses the memory of a terroir, a climate, an ancestral savoir-faire and tasting sensations for all those who will evolve far from Earth.'

The tomb has been hiding underneath a Byzantine church (top left) in Turkey, which was built atop an ancient basilica (bottom left), which was destroyed by rising sea levels in the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages. Archaeologists have spent the last few years carefully removing tiles, revealing flooring of the ancient church that holds the tomb of Saint Nicholas - the inspiration behind the story of Santa Claus.

There are 30,039 near-Earth asteroids that are known to science - and the number is rapidly rising, says the European Space Agency from its Paris HQ. Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are rocky bodies orbiting the Sun on a path that brings them close to Earth's orbit. Of the 30,039 NEAs, it's estimated that there are about 10,000 larger than 460 feet (140 metres) in diameter, and 1,000 larger than 3,280 feet (one kilometre) in diameter (top right). The total includes the first ever NEA to be discovered in 1898, 433 Eros (left). Also pictured is an artist's impression of asteroid 21 Lutetia (bottom right), which is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Depending on where you live, you may think you have a pretty good idea of what bad weather feels like. However, with record-breaking heatwaves and devastating floods experienced just this year, most scientists agree that climate change is making weather more extreme. To help raise awareness of this, the world's first public storm simulator has been launched in Nordborg, Denmark. 'Beat the Storm' is comprised of two simulators that allow people to experience an up to a category II hurricane, that has winds of over 100 mph (160km/h). Troels Nim Andersen, Project Manager at Universe Science Park where the simulators are located, said: 'Beat the Storm engages people at all ages, allowing them to experience senses that can't be experienced in any other way.'