EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This month, we’re focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), a topic that continues to capture attention everywhere. Here, you’ll find the latest research news, insights, and discoveries shaping how AI is being developed and used across the world.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Nov-2025 05:11 ET (21-Nov-2025 10:11 GMT/UTC)

30-Sep-2025

Teaching robots to read the room: UVA engineering’s Bezzo wins DARPA Young Faculty Award

University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science
Grant and Award Announcement

Electrical and computer engineering professor Nicola Bezzo is pioneering empathetic, resilient robots that can anticipate human needs in complex environments.

Funder: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

30-Sep-2025

The elephant in the classroom: Why children need more male teachers

University of South Australia

Ahead of World Teachers’ Day, education experts at the University of South Australia are calling for urgent action to counteract gender stereotypes and bring more men into early childhood education.

30-Sep-2025

New AI tool scans social media for hidden health risks

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new artificial intelligence tool can scan social media data to discover adverse events associated with consumer health products, according to a study published September 30^th in the open-access journal PLOS Digital Health by John Ayers of the University of California, San Diego, U.S., and colleagues.

Journal: PLOS Digital Health

30-Sep-2025

MUSC study could help lead to personalized TMS for smokers who want to quit

Medical University of South Carolina
Peer-Reviewed Publication

MUSC Health was the first place in South Carolina to offer TMS to smokers. Research has shown that multiple sessions of rTMS, specifically over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the brain, can cut cravings and cigarette consumption. The new MUSC study gets even more targeted than that, using a form of AI called machine learning to analyze images from the brain’s neural networks to see if it’s possible to predict which smokers are likely to benefit from multiple sessions of rTMS, also known as repetitive TMS.

Journal: Brain Connectivity

30-Sep-2025

Can digital health tools help younger cancer survivors better predict future health risks?

Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
Business Announcement

A groundbreaking new study from the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology aims to test whether digital tools and chatbot technology can help young adult cancer survivors get the genetic counseling they need to better understand future health risks to themselves and family members.

Funder: NIH/National Cancer Institute

30-Sep-2025

Doctors and nurses are better than AI at triaging patients

European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM)
Reports and Proceedings

Doctors and nurses are better at triaging patients in emergency departments than artificial intelligence (AI), according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress on Tuesday. However, AI could be useful when used in conjunction with clinical staff, but should not be used as a stand-alone triage tool.

Meeting: European Emergency Medicine Congress (EUSEM 2025)

30-Sep-2025

Artificial intelligence helps scientists better predict, diagnose hard-to-detect form of breast cancer often undetectable on screening

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

New research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute is using artificial intelligence (AI) to devise new ways of predicting which patients will develop an aggressive and difficult-to-detect form of breast cancer called lobular cancer, which represents one in every 10 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States.