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Inner space: It’s the magical, microscopic land that exists inside all of us—the place where red blood cells frolic with white, where our organs chug along like meaty factories, and where a squirming mass of micro-robots are set to infiltrate in the near future. For the record, Innerspace is also a brilliant movie from the 1980s starring Dennis Quaid and Martin Short. But enough about Dennis Quaid. A new class of tiny robots faces new and perilous dangers as they traipse around the human body—swimming in veins, wriggling through guts, sliding down the back of your nasal cavity—to fend off disease, perform surgery and explore the not-so-vast unknowns of… you....

Media Platforms Design TeamAs the Ukrainian-Russian rift over Crimea intensifies, a new tactic has emerged: to prevent Ukrainian government ships from leaving a southern port. The vessel in question, reported to be a Kara-class cruiser. Russians (or at least Russian sympathizers) towed the ship to the entrance to Donuzlav and sank it.intentionally sinking a shipThe act of sinking a ship on purpose is called scuttling. Navies typically do this to prevent enemies from getting their hands on the hardware....

While Kickstarter is sometimes used for student films, fart detectors, and vaporware, there are some really great ones out there. The National Air and Space Museum launched a Kickstarter to restore one of the most priceless (and fragile) artifacts of the space age: Neil Armstrong’s suit from the Apollo 11 mission. While the suits are designed to withstand harsh, airless environments, they weren’t built to last over time. Armstrong’s suit currently sits in a climate-controlled Smithsonian facility, but it’s too fragile to display....

Media Platforms Design TeamBarbecues may one day be fueled by propane renewably generated by microbes. That’s because scientists have for the first time genetically engineered E. coli, a bacterium commonly found in the human gut, to make propane. If scientists can develop a way for photosynthetic bacteria to produce this gas the same way, then solar-powered generation of this biofuel could become a reality.Renewable fuels made by microbes are typically liquids....

Media Platforms Design TeamTriboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) convert mechanical energy into electricity. If, for example, you were to place TENG strips on a car tire, the tire would be able to absorb frictional energy otherwise lost and return it to the vehicle, powering lights or even the motor itself. Researchers led by Xudong Wang at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have accomplished just this feat with prototype tires for a toy car. The power they created lit up six LED lights they attached to the small vehicle....

Media Platforms Design TeamCuriosity has now been roving Mars for two (Earth) years, and Google is celebrating with the release of new maps of the moon and Mars. To get there, head anywhere on Earth in Google Maps, zoom all the way out, click the explore tab in the bottom right corner, and then click “Earth” in the bottom left corner. Three orb options will appear in the explore tab: Earth, Moon, and Mars....

Volcanic activity on opposite sides of the globe has put airlines on alert and threatened to disrupt air travel. However, thanks to advances in detection technology, experts say planes are now safer from the risk of volcanic eruptions than they’ve ever been. Among the advances is a device that allows pilots to “see” volcanic ash clouds. It uses infra-red imaging to spot danger 60 miles ahead at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet....

Media Platforms Design TeamPhoto Credit: Orlando Sierra/AFP/Getty ImagesThe cause of the prison fire in Honduras that killed more than 300 people last night has yet to be determined. For now, there are two prevailing theories to explain what might have happened: a prison riot, or an electrical fault. We’ll soon learn the real cause of the fire, which sounds horrific by any description—the prisoners reportedly burned in their cells, unable to be saved by rescuers ready to help, since the key-carrying cards could not be found in time....

Media Platforms Design TeamWhy does the world need the X Prize Foundation? Does conventional R&D not work for some technologies?A true breakthrough requires taking extraordinary risk. The question is: Where in our society do we try crazy ideas? I would imagine that it used to be in government and large corporations, but when you have a situation where, like with Solyndra [the solar energy company], the government makes an investment and it tanks, and then there are congressional investigations and the Department of Energy is chastised, suddenly failure has a very high cost....

The coffee filter is about to become your new favorite kitchen item. That .99 cent pack of thin paper does a lot more than what its name describes, as pointed out by the Crazy Russian Hacker on YouTube.For example, drop a little baking soda into it, wrap the filter into a ball with a rubber band, and you’ve got yourself a shoe deodorizer. Another brilliant hack is that a coffee filter can double as a tea bag if you find yourself with loose tea leaves but nothing to hold them together....

Last week, Qatar Airlines decided to bring one of its new Airbus A350’s on a quick trip to the United States to claim the new plane’s first official flight to the US. But on its way out of JFK with a load of journalists on board, things went a little off track. As the plane was barreling down the runway, the brakes kicked on and brought the airliner to an abrupt and terrifying halt....

Media Platforms Design TeamI have a compact car, a Toyota Yaris, and although I love the thing it’s kind of loud on the freeway. Is there any way I can quiet down the cabin noise?The noise heard in the cabin of any car comes from three general sources: the mechanical bits, the wind, and the tires. If everything with the engine, suspension, and exhaust is in proper working order, most of the noises in a regular commuter car like a Yaris come from either the wind or the tires....

Media Platforms Design TeamNetgear has shipped 84 million wireless routers and gateways since 2006, but the company wants to be known for more than just being the default name on your unsecured home Wi-Fi. Today it announced its entry into the smart home sphere: a new wireless security camera for your house. Called Arlo, the device can be used inside and out and streams 720p video even at night.Unlike other consumer solutions like Dropcam, Arlo actually looks like a traditional security camera....

Media Platforms Design TeamElon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO and lead designer, said a strut used to secure a helium bottle probably broke free and doomed the Falcon 9 and its space station cargo in last month’s rocket disaster. The helium then leaked into the oxygen tank (it sits inside that tank) and caused “an overpressure event,” Musk said. The Falcon 9 rocket broke apart in mid-flight during a June 28 launch from Cape Canaveral, destroying 2 tons of cargo meant for the International Space Station....

Media Platforms Design TeamI stripped the threads on one plumbing connection and now it’s a running joke with my brothers that I’m Jack the Stripper. I’ll never live it down. Seriously, when is a screw, bolt, or plumbing fitting tight enough?It depends on what you’re trying to tighten. For plumbing fittings or pipe assemblies, snug the parts by hand and then use a wrench to finish. The additional amount of tightening with a wrench is known as turns past finger-tight or turns from finger-tight (TPFT or TFFT, respectively)....

Media Platforms Design TeamLeave it to the unpronounceable Hammacher Schlemmer catalog to list what might be thecoolest remote controlled toyL’Intrepidegizmodo.comBenjamin Chertoff ever: The Aquacraft, V24, a nearly 5’ long, gas powered, water cooled speed boat capable of speeds of up to 35 mph – Stuart Little never had it so good. Or so lavish: The little model that can comes with a côte-azure price tag of $1,499.95. (Queue sinking ship sound fx....

Media Platforms Design TeamHammers are the quintessential tool–likely one of the first tools man invented, and probably one of the first tools you ever picked up. Everyone remembers his dad’s old hammer. After the years go by and the time comes for your father’s hammer to be passed down, there’s no doubt you’ll wear it on your hip with honor and announce to anyone who’ll listen, “This was my dad’s hammer!...

Energy StarThe FreeCharge Weza ($269) is a portable battery and generator that relies on elbow grease. Make that ankle grease-stomping a step pedal cranks the generator and charges the battery. (It also can be juiced up with an AC or DC adapter.) The unit’s 400-amp max output is enough to jump a car, but, with a cigarette-lighter adapter, it can power dainty devices like cellphones and laptops too. As an emergency power source for the home or a backup generator for camping or boating, the Weza is a step in the right direction....

• Don’t Screw Up • Using Minirollers • Scrap Stick Holds KindlingPiggyback Vise Chances are, the first vise you buy for your basement workshop will need to handle a wide range of jobs–everything from holding your lawnmower blade for a spring touchup to gripping a rusty bolt while you clean the threads. For this kind of work, you need a metalworking vise that’s designed to mount on the top of your workbench....

Media Platforms Design TeamA partial solar eclipse. Credit: NASA/ T. RuenIf this month’s blood moon wasn’t enough eclipse for you, don’t worry. Tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 23) a solar eclipse is coming, and you won’t need to rise in the wee hours of the morning to see it.The partial solar eclipse is set to start around 5:50 p.m. Eastern, though you should check NASA’s chart for the best viewing times in your area....