New passport rankings show that the world is opening up – but not for everyone

A passport from the United Arab Emirates will get you into far more destinations than one from Afghanistan. Gaps like this have big implications for people’s ability to travel, reside and work.

Patrick Bixby, Associate Professor of English, Arizona State University • conversation
Jan. 24, 2023 ~10 min

2D material may lead to sharper phone photos

A new two-dimensional material could help you take super-sharp photos with your phone, even in low light, researchers say.

Jamie Oberdick-Penn State • futurity
Jan. 5, 2023 ~7 min


Screens are a risky fix for preschoolers’ big feelings

Using screens to calm upset preschoolers is linked with increased emotional dysregulation in kids, a new study finds.

Beata Mostafavi-Michigan • futurity
Dec. 13, 2022 ~8 min

There’s no ‘golden rule’ for when kids should get their first phone

The age your kids get their first cell phone has little bearing on their sleep patterns, depression symptoms, or grades, researchers find.

Erin Digitale-Stanford • futurity
Nov. 28, 2022 ~11 min

What is Fog Reveal? A legal scholar explains the app some police forces are using to track people without a warrant

Some US law enforcement agencies are using a commercial app that tracks people all day long via their phones – without a court order or oversight.

Anne Toomey McKenna, Visiting Professor of Law, University of Richmond • conversation
Oct. 17, 2022 ~11 min

Learning on the edge

A new technique enables AI models to continually learn from new data on intelligent edge devices like smartphones and sensors, reducing energy costs and privacy risks.

Adam Zewe | MIT News Office • mit
Oct. 4, 2022 ~9 min

The same app can pose a bigger security and privacy threat depending on the country where you download it, study finds

Mobile apps are sometimes ‘regionalized’ to better serve the needs of users, functioning differently in, for example, China than in Canada. But some of those differences pose security and privacy risks.

Renuka Kumar, Ph.D. student in Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan • conversation
Sept. 27, 2022 ~8 min

Your phone could measure your blood oxygen level

Your phone's camera and flash may one day offer a way to test your blood oxygen level at home.

Sarah McQuate-Washington • futurity
Sept. 20, 2022 ~8 min


Our phones may drive us to buy custom products

A new study shows that consumers gravitate toward custom, rare, or special products when they are engrossed in their phones.

Eric Hamilton-Florida • futurity
Aug. 23, 2022 ~4 min

Debunking stereotypes about mobile homes could make them a new face of affordable housing

Manufactured housing – the preferred name for what were once called mobile homes – has changed dramatically in recent decades. Three planning experts call for giving it a new look.

Linda Shi, Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University • conversation
July 28, 2022 ~11 min

/

22