Lifestyle

Eating less meat is known to be good for heart health, but studies have been hampered by confounding factors such as genetics and background. Now, 22 sets of twins on 'healthy' meat and plant-based diets provide us with the best comparative data yet.

Researchers have identified how Lactobacillus, a member of our guts’ microbiome community, affects a critical immune system protein, influencing stress levels and mental health. The findings could lead to new treatments for depression and anxiety.

Research has found that some personality traits increase the risk of a dementia diagnosis, whereas others reduce it. The findings suggest that targeting these traits earlier in life may be a way of reducing dementia risk in the long term.

Multitools have always been a popular topic, and that didn't change in 2023. It was a pivotal year for multitool design, seeing the birth of what Leatherman calls its best ever. See what other multitools captured the imagination in 2023.

The Tesla Cybertruck is finally official, and now there's the very first camper to go with it. The self-contained Tesla x Heimplanet Basecamper stays out of the way when driving and inflates into a cozy, convenient camping space on arrival.

Owomo looks to simplify the build-your-own camper process with a series of plywood panels that serve as lids for the common gray Eurobox. The panels interconnect like puzzle pieces, creating basic furniture such as beds, tables and lounge chairs.

The River Forest Lookout puts shipping container-based architecture on a pedestal – literally. It takes the form of a fire lookout tower-style design that consists of two containers raised 60 ft above the forest floor in rural Georgia.

It's a challenge to fit a viable house into a length of just 6 m, but with its Golden Hour, Baluchon has managed it while also finding space to add a few home comforts, including a custom kitchen and a loft bedroom with enough headroom to stand up.

New Zealand's Raglan Tiny Homes offers something a little different with its recently completed model, the Beach. Featuring a compact interior layout, the non-towable tiny house embraces indoor-outdoor living with a part-enclosed deck area.

The 2023 WAF World Building of the Year has been revealed. China's Huizhen High School, by Approach Design Studio and Zhejiang University of Technology Engineering Design Group, was given the nod for its unusual student-focused design.

The recently completed PituRooms in Indonesia has to be one of the skinniest hotels in the world. Designed by Sahabat Selojene, it has a width of just 280 cm and provides an excellent example of overcoming a very challenging inner-city plot.

It has been a crazy year for Saudi Arabian architecture, but the country isn't done surprising us yet. Plans have now been revealed for an unusual hexagonal hotel that will be nestled into the rugged desert landscape.

Lea Lorenz unveils TONY, a modern, eco-friendly solution to combat food waste. This innovative clay cooler reinterprets traditional methods, offering electricity-free freshness for fruits and baked goods.

There are many terrarium plants that are nice to look at, but difficult to grow. The Air & Light + self-contained mini-terrarium is designed to make things easier, by taking care of lighting and ventilation for you.

For some time now, industrial ultrasonic knives have been utilized for precision cutting tasks in places like laboratories and factories. The 369Sonic, however, is claimed to be the first such device designed specifically for use in home kitchens.

Women and girls in industrial countries may have ready access to inexpensive menstrual pads, but such is not always the case in developing nations. That may soon change, however, thanks to the sisal plant.

The traditional white cane may never become completely obsolete, but there certainly are a number of devices that could give it a run for its money. One of the latest is the GUIDi, which guides blind users via cameras and buzzers on a belt.

For centuries, shipworms have vexed mariners by boring into – and consuming – the hulls of wooden ships and boats. Soon, though, we may actually be eating those "worms," as they have successfully been farmed for the first time.

Minnesota company Upper Story has sent us its Turing Tumble, a fascinating educational toy that quietly tricks kids into inventing binary logic computers using nothing more than tiny marbles dropping through a series of clicky-clacky plastic pieces.

Back in 2013, California-based startup Shark Wheel hit Kickstarter with a very odd-looking cube-shaped skateboard wheel. Now the company has supersized the design for a pair of funky electric cars for kids – the Shark SUV and the Shark UTV.

If a driver is preoccupied, or if there's a disruption to their routine, they can forget and leave their baby in their car – if that car then gets too hot, the result can be lethal. The Infalurt Child Safety System is designed to keep such scenarios from unfolding.

Brett Adcock has co-founded two companies on the bleeding edges of innovation in emerging markets: Archer Aviation, in the world of eVTOL aircraft, and Figure, in humanoid robots. We look into his background, and the startup that launched it all.

The aviation world has lost one of its brightest luminaries. Major Brian Shul was an incredible survivor and a top gun pilot – but also a gifted photographer and storyteller, whose stories about the extraordinary SR-71 Blackbird will live forever.

An adventurous professor from the University of South Florida has broken the world record for living in an underwater habitat. Joseph Dituri has called the submurged Jules’ Undersea Lodge home since March 1, and intends to remain there until June 9.

RFID cat flaps are great for keeping animals from wandering into your house, but they don't stop your cat from bringing dead animals into said dwelling. The ZeroMouse was designed to address that shortcoming, by blocking access to cats carrying prey.

A new study has revealed how overeating affects a cat’s digestion and gut microbiome. The greater understanding provided by the study may help to prevent pet obesity and the health problems associated with it.

Many people seatbelt their dog on car rides, but they don't want the critter messing up the seats. The Rubicon Dog is designed with just such folks in mind, as it safely secures pooches while containing their loose fur and dirty paws.

Axiom Holographics has opened a unique family attraction in Brisbane, Australia, a kind of augmented reality zoo built around a much larger version of Euclideon's multi-viewpoint 3D display tables and Unlimited Detail graphics engine.

The collective mindset change that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have begun a societal revolution that may well return us to our nomadic origins. We've collected a list of resources available for those who can work-from-anywhere.

Airbnb regularly offers the chance to stay in one-of-a-kind places, and has now teamed up with Palais Garnier, the Paris opera house which inspired the Phantom of the Opera novel, to offer a night of luxury and a rare look behind the scenes.