Privacy
A Blank Wall Can Show How Many People Are in a Room and What They’re Doing
The technique is the latest method to glean a surprising amount of surveillance from a meager source
Stories by Sophie Bushwick
Electronics
All Small Electronics Should Have the Same Charging Port, New E.U. Rule Says
In a bid to reduce waste, a proposed regulation would require phones and other small electronics to switch to USB-C
Privacy
Social Security Numbers Aren’t Secure: What Should We Use Instead?
The answer is not as simple as replacing each nine-digit number with a longer one
Energy
This Room Could Wirelessly Charge All Your Devices
New technology delivers power to electronic devices in a test space
Sports
How Paralympic Wheelchairs and Prostheses Are Optimized for Speed and Performance
The engineering and designs vary widely from sport to sport and athlete to athlete
Memory
Digital Heads Help Eyewitnesses Identify Suspects
Witnesses were more accurate when they interacted with 3-D models than when they looked at still photographs. And the models were less expensive than an in-person lineup
Computing
AI Creates False Documents That Fake Out Hackers
The algorithm hides sensitive information in a sea of decoys
Engineering
Soft Robot Hand Is First to Be Fully 3-D-Printed in a Single Step
Then it played Super Mario Bros.
Engineering
Concrete Buildings Could Be Turned into Rechargeable Batteries
But for now, a square meter of the building material holds roughly the energy of two AA batteries
Climate Change
‘Whitest White’ Paint Beats the Heat
A new nanomaterial mixture lets surfaces release more heat than they absorb
Engineering
Hacker Attack on Essential Pipeline Shows Infrastructure Weaknesses
Ransomware is steadily hitting harder. Could banks or subway systems be next?
Engineering
The NYPD’s Robot Dog Was a Really Bad Idea: Here’s What Went Wrong
Design, context and timing influence whether humans embrace a robot or reject it
Computing
Algorithm Virtually Unfolds a Historical Letter without Unsealing It
In the centuries before envelopes, “letterlocking” secured a message’s information
Automobiles
Will Trackless Trams Gain Traction in the U.S.?
A hybrid form of transportation could be an alternative to buses or light rails
Computing
How Hackers Tried to Add Dangerous Lye into a City’s Water Supply
A cybersecurity expert explains how safety systems stopped the attack
Behavior
How to Stop Doomscrolling News and Social Media
“Doomscroll Reminder Lady” Karen K. Ho explains how to step away from the screen
Public Health
Why COVID Vaccines Are Taking So Long to Reach You
Bottlenecks in supply chains and difficult appointment-registration systems are slowing distribution
Computing
What the Capitol Riot Data Download Shows about Social Media Vulnerabilities
A massive amount of information downloaded from Parler includes potentially incriminating material. But innocuous posts on mainstream platforms can also create vulnerabilities
Culture
From Rapping Robots to Glowing Frogs: Our Favorite Fun Stories of 2020
It has been a tough year, but science still brought us some weird, cool and quirky findings
Public Health
Evaluating COVID Risk on Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Stay safer on different forms of transportation
