Among the cacophony of car horns and screeching tires in Zurich, a material from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) is making noise reduction a whole lot quieter. This mineral foam is four times thinner than conventional sound absorbers but just as effective. For architects and builders it’s a sleek and efficient way to dampen city noise without sacrificing space.
Disney’s Bitzee has created a toy phenomenon, capturing kids and adults with its mix of nostalgic virtual pet charm and modern interactivity. Thirty Disney characters live in a compact, screen-free holographic pod, making it a tactile experience that’s both classic and new, rooted in the 90s virtual pet craze but with Disney’s beloved characters like Mickey Mouse, Nemo and Elsa.
Mario’s journeys have always been timeless and a new fan made project rekindles that magic with style. YouTube creator Syrus212 has rebuilt the Gateway Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy in Unreal Engine 5 and is offering a free PC tech demo that adds modern visuals.
Berlin’s Teufel has been crafting audio gear for 45 years, and their latest creation, the MYND, feels like a quiet revolution. This Bluetooth speaker is built to last, repaired, and made your own. It’s a device that invites you to pop it open, swap out parts, and even 3D-print new components.
Mars has always seemed like a distant dream, but NASA and Virginia-based AeroVironment (AV) are working to shrink that distance with a new mission called Skyfall. This plan will send six small helicopters to the Red Planet, each to scout out the terrain and prepare for the day humans set foot there.
Long-haul trucking powers America’s economy, hauling goods from coast to coast, but diesel trucks account for 6.7% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EPA. Revoy, a California-based startup, has a game-changing electric dolly that fits between a truck’s tractor and trailer, turning diesel rigs into high-efficiency hybrids without any modifications.
In 2002, Lincoln stood at a crossroads, unveiling the Continental Concept at the North American International Auto Show—a showstopper that put the brand in the future. Now, this one and only functional example, with a 6.0-liter V12, is headed to the Mecum Chicago auction on September 20, 2025 and you can own a piece of Lincoln’s daring history.
In the vastness of space, there’s a rare cosmic oddity: an intermediate-mass black hole. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory have found NGC 6099 HLX-1, a cosmic enigma in the constellation Hercules, 450 million light-years away, devouring a star.
