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: 2-Jan-2026 20:11 ET (3-Jan-2026 01:11 GMT/UTC)
27-Oct-2025
An AI-powered lifestyle intervention vs human coaching in the diabetes prevention program
JAMA NetworkPeer-Reviewed Publication
About The Study: Among adults with prediabetes and overweight or obesity, referral to a fully automated AI-led Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was noninferior to referral to a human-led DPP in achieving a composite outcome based on weight reduction, physical activity, and HbA1c.
- Journal
- JAMA
27-Oct-2025
AI-powered microscope ushers in new era of autonomous research
Duke UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Using publicly available AI foundation models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Meta’s Segment Anything Model (SAM), Duke engineers built an AI microscope platform that can analyze materials as accurately as a trained graduate student in a fraction of the time. The findings point to a new era of autonomous research, where AI systems work alongside humans to design experiments, run instruments and interpret data.
- Journal
- ACS Nano
27-Oct-2025
People don’t worry about losing jobs to AI, even when told it could happen soon
University of California - MercedPeer-Reviewed Publication
New research suggests that even warnings about near-term job automation do little to shake public confidence. Two political scientists used a survey to see how people would respond to forecasts of the arrival of “transformative AI,” from as early as 2026 to as distant as 2060. They found that shorter timelines made respondents slightly more anxious about losing their jobs, but did not meaningfully alter their views on when job losses would occur or their support for government responses such as retraining workers or providing a universal basic income.
- Journal
- The Journal of Politics
27-Oct-2025
JMIR Medical Education invites submissions on bias, diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence in medical education
JMIR PublicationsBusiness Announcement
JMIR Publications invites submissions to a new theme issue in its premier open access journal JMIR Medical Education exploring the pervasive issue of implicit and explicit biases in health care, including those related to gender, ethnicity, and sexuality.
27-Oct-2025
Using AI to shed light on emergency care
The University of BergenA multinational collaboration at Eitri medical innovation center in Bergen, Norway, has used machine learning models to identify patient groups at risk of being mistreated at the ER.
- Journal
- Journal of Medical Internet Research
27-Oct-2025
Meet us at BIO-Europe | Insilico to showcase generative AI platform and introduce cardiometabolic portfolio at BIO-Europe 2025 in Vienna
InSilico MedicineMeeting Announcement
Insilico will participate in BIO-Europe 2025 in Vienna, where it will introduce its new cardiometabolic drug portfolio and showcase its end-to-end Pharma.AI platform. CEO Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov will speak on generative AI's role in accelerating therapies for age-related diseases. The company's business development team will be available for meetings at the booth, as well as through the conference's partnering system, to pursue strategic collaborations.