It's been a busy year. Over the past 12 months, we've witnessed the explosion of generative AI, the collapse of crypto, and a whole lot of promises from lawmakers pledging to slow the march of climate change. While it's easy to feel overwhelmed by all this rapid change, we're here to help. Our MIT Technology Review Explains section is dedicated to untangling the complex, sometimes messy, world of science and technology to help you understand what's happening. Our series of explainers cut through the noise and get to the heart of the issues that really matter, covering everything from biotechnology and cryptocurrency to quantum computing and what's going on in China's tech industry.

AR/VR startup Magic Leap's new patent application links facial recognition, identity authentication, and document verification and could signal the stealth company's interest in cybersecurity applications. Magic Leap – a much-hyped "mixed reality" startup that has raised almost $2B to date – has yet to release a product. But with investors like Google, Kleiner Perkins, Alibaba, and others betting big on Magic Leap's success, the company's mysterious ambitions have captivated interest across the tech sector. A new patent application surfaced in the CB Insights database is the latest clue to the stealth startup's strategy: The technology outlined in the patent could turn an augmented reality system into a tool for hyper-rapid identity verification using facial recognition. Get this data driven report on the patent activity for Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon and more top tech companies.