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: 19-Nov-2025 07:11 ET (19-Nov-2025 12:11 GMT/UTC)

23-Jun-2025

AI-based brain-mapping software receives FDA market authorization

WashU Medicine
Business Announcement

The FDA has authorized an AI-based brain-mapping software program developed by Eric Leuthardt, MD, the Shi H. Huang Professor of Neurological Surgery at WashU Medicine, to be marketed by Sora Neuroscience, a WashU startup company he founded with other faculty members. The software has the potential to improve neurosurgery procedures for patients.

23-Jun-2025

Concerned father, statistician develops software to improve skills therapy

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mark Ramos, assistant research professor of health policy and administration at Penn State, wrote software code that can be used by therapists to verify that children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities are mastering skills at the level needed.

Journal: Behavior Analysis in Practice

23-Jun-2025

Zoning out could be beneficial—and may actually help us learn faster

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Aimlessly wandering around a city or exploring the new mall may seem unproductive, but new research from HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus suggests it could play an important role in how our brains learn.

Journal: Nature

23-Jun-2025

LLMs factor in unrelated information when recommending medical treatments

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Reports and Proceedings

An MIT study finds non-clinical information in patient messages, like typos, extra whitespace, or colorful language, can reduce the accuracy of a large language model deployed to make treatment recommendations. The LLMs were consistently less accurate for female patients, even when all gender markers were removed from the text.

23-Jun-2025

Massive burps of carbon dioxide led to oxygen-less ocean environments in the deep past

University of California - Davis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from UC Davis, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Texas A&M University reveals that massive emissions, or burps, of carbon dioxide from natural earth systems led to significant decreases in ocean oxygen concentrations some 300 million years ago.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, U.S. National Science Foundation

23-Jun-2025

ETRI develops AI technology for early screening of autism spectrum disorder

National Research Council of Science & Technology

ETRI researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) technique for the early screening of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The technology is designed to detect early signs of ASD in children more quickly, which could expand opportunities for early screening and intervention and greatly improve accessibility.

Funder: Ministry of Science and ICT

23-Jun-2025

ADHD link to severe premenstrual disorder uncovered in women

Queen Mary University of London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from a group of scientists led by Queen Mary University of London, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found that women with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at higher risk for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

Journal: The British Journal of Psychiatry
Funder: UK Medical Research Council