Reproduction
Your Phone Could Be Used to Prosecute for Getting an Abortion: Here’s How
Technology editor Sophie Bushwick breaks down the precedent for using your phone to monitor personal health data.
Stories by Sophie Bushwick
Privacy
Yes, Phones Can Reveal if Someone Gets an Abortion
To protect personal information from companies that sell data, some individuals are relying on privacy guides instead of government regulation or industry transparency
Engineering
Record-Breaking Jumping Robot Can Leap a 10-Story Building
To propel itself higher than any known engineered jumper or animal can, it had to ignore the limits of biology
Materials Science
New ‘Ionogels’ Are Tough, Stretchable and Easy to Make
They could find use as protective material, 3-D printer “ink” or longer-lasting batteries
Defense
Russia Is Using ‘Digital Repression’ to Suppress Dissent
The Putin regime has a portfolio of digital tools to control information and crack down on protests within the country
Policy
Russia’s Information War Is Being Waged on Social Media Platforms
But tech companies and governments are fighting back
History
How Much Medieval Literature Has Been Lost?
An ecological model suggests islands are better at preserving literature as well as species
Artificial Intelligence
AI Outraces Human Champs at the Video Game Gran Turismo
The program also challenges certain assumptions about self-driving cars
Defense
Cyberattack Misinformation Could Be Plan for Ukraine Invasion
A falsified video would be an update on the traditional use of propaganda campaigns during warfare
Electronics
New Charging Technique Puts Crumbling Batteries Back Together
The method could extend the lifetime of lithium-metal batteries by 30 percent, a new study suggests
Aerospace
How Airlines Can Solve Their 5G Problem
A delayed rollout bought time to address worries that the new telecommunications standard would interfere with aviation instruments
Public Health
New Sensor Tells You How Well Your Mask Is Working
FaceBit tracks a face covering’s fit and wear time, as well as its wearer’s vital signs
Behavior
How to Stop Doomscrolling News and Social Media
“Doomscroll Reminder Lady” Karen K. Ho explains how to step away from the screen
Animals
The Best Fun Science Stories of 2021: Rhythmic Lemurs, a Marscopter and Sex-Obsessed Insect Zombies
Check out the weird and wonderful stories that delighted us this year
Privacy
The Log4J Software Flaw Is ‘Christmas Come Early’ for Cybercriminals
A cybersecurity expert explains how the widely used logging software is already making us more vulnerable
Engineering
Top 10 Emerging Tech of 2021
The World Economic Forum and Scientific American team up to highlight technological advances that could change the world—including self-fertilizing crops, on-demand drug manufacturing, breath-sensing diagnostics and 3-D-printed houses...
Biotech
Gel-Based Sensor Continuously Monitors Wounds for Infection
The device can sit beneath a bandage and send infection alerts directly to a smartphone
Materials Science
Seashells Inspire New Superstrong Glass Composite
The novel material mimics the layered structure of nacre
Climate Change
The Infrastructure Bill Is Desperately Needed, Engineers Say
One of the experts who grades U.S. utilities every four years explains what needs to be fixed
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
