Popular Mechanics in July

Despite the word “maly" (small) in its Russian name, the Zubr is the largest amphibious hovercraft of its kind. Its most conspicuous design elements are the five-meter diameter propellers mounted on its stern — more about this vehicle in the July issue of Popular Mechanics.

Popular wisdom has it that all diseases are caused by nervous disorders. According to that logic, it should be possible to cure many diseases without the use of medication by influencing the nervous system. The article “The power of belief" in the Science section goes into detail on how to treat people this way.

Read about the Popular Mechanics expedition to Mount Elbrus in the article “The highest point in Europe" in the Technology section. Another story, “Behind the scenes at the World Cup" describes the preparations that begin long before the global sporting event kicks off.

As a result of recent political events, Russia’s armed forces have regained use of NITKA, the unique testing grounds built in Crimea not long before the collapse of the Soviet Union. At that time, Soviet authorities had major plans for developing the country’s aircraft carrier fleet. The article “The unsinkable aircraft carrier" in the Weapons section looks at whether NITKA continues its usefulness today.

In the Workshop section, editors explain how to build a hovercraft. It turns out that the relatively weak fan from an ordinary lawn blower is capable of lifting an adult man and easily moving him from place to place.

In this issue:

Cryptomankind;
Virtual D-Day;
A secret generation of rotorcraft;
Islets on “smart" skin;
Bone artists;
Survival techniques;
The hyperboloid that blinked;
Bomb vessels;
100-ton dragster;
Eternal music of Koichi Okamoto.

The July issue went on sale June 17. Download the iPad version from the App Store and the PDF version from Zinio.