EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Artificial Intelligence

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: 3-Nov-2026 10:16 ET (3-Nov-2026 15:16 GMT/UTC)

26-Aug-2026

AI helps design new materials that work in the real world

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

MIT researchers added a new component to AI models that design new materials, helping ensure the material will be stable and practical for real-world use. The “CrysVCD” approach could reduce the money and time spent on screening out unusable designs.

Journal: Nature Computational Science
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy, Mathworks Engineering Fellowship, National Science Foundation, U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency

26-Aug-2026

Does AI shape decisions before we do? USF researcher questions what “human in the loop” really means

University of South Florida
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Artificial intelligence is often discussed with a simple safeguard in mind: Keep a human in the loop. But what happens when AI is already shaping the information, options and recommendations that inform a decision?

Journal: Qualitative Inquiry

26-Aug-2026

Artificial intelligence‑driven paradigms in polysaccharide structure–activity relationships: a new revolution

Tsinghua University Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Polysaccharides are complex, highly heterogeneous biological macromolecules whose structure‑activity relationships have long puzzled researchers using traditional experimental approaches. A new Perspective article describes how artificial intelligence can shift polysaccharide science from experience‑driven trial‑and‑error toward data‑driven rational design. The authors highlight critical data‑quality bottlenecks, propose standardized data frameworks, and paint a forward‑looking vision for AI‑guided polysaccharide development and precision nutrition.

26-Aug-2026

Roman Space Telescope equipped with technology from Heidelberg set for launch

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Business Announcement

Roman Space Telescope, Launch Date: The NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled for launch on 30 August 2026 from Kennedy Space Center on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to study the universe's history and dark matter and energy as well as exoplanets.

MPIA Heidelberg Contribution: The Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg played a key role in developing the Coronagraph Instrument (CGI), including designing, manufacturing, and testing its Precision Alignment Mechanisms (PAMs).

Scientific Goals: CGI aims to observe older, cooler gas giants closer to their stars than previously possible and analyze their atmospheres with an integrated spectrograph.

26-Aug-2026

A robot that grows like a fish, not like a machine

NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Most fish-inspired robots only work at one size, so monitoring a creek versus a lake means building two robots from scratch. ScaFi solves this by scaling from 0.6m to 2.9m off one blueprint, just thickening the flexible tail rods. Tested in creeks, a Swiss stream, and Lake Geneva, it kept the same gait across sizes.

Journal: npj Robotics

26-Aug-2026

AI-based diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes from a single facial video

European Society of Cardiology
Reports and Proceedings

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based analysis of facial video images can rapidly and accurately detect undiagnosed high blood pressure and diabetes according to a study that will be presented at ESC Congress 2026.

26-Aug-2026

HydroGym trains, assesses AI for actively controlling fluid dynamics

University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A platform for training and comparing machine learning models for actively reducing drag, improving lift, cutting noise and managing heat has been launched by an international team including researchers at the University of Washington, University of Michigan Engineering, RWTH Aachen University and the Technical University of Munich.

Journal: Nature