EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Artificial Intelligence

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.

Computing using real life traffic, novel approach to AI cuts its energy usage

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

What if that traffic associated with the daily commute could be put towards computing? It may sound like a stretch, but that is what researchers from Tohoku University have recently proposed, developing a new artificial intelligence framework that harnesses road traffic as a computing resource. The framework would lessen AI’s reliance on power-hungry hardware, making it more sustainable.

Journal: Scientific Reports

22-Jan-2026

AI@HHMI: Accelerating the development of new biological sensors

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

HHMI Janelia Research Campus Group Leaders Alison Tebo and Srinivas Turaga are creating new AI models to optimize the development of sensors used to track biological processes happening inside cells in real time – key tools used to understand how the body and brain work.

21-Jan-2026

Breakthrough organic crystalline material repairs itself in extreme cold temperatures, unlocking new possibilities for space and deep-sea technologies

New York University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

NYU Abu Dhabi researchers discover the first organic crystalline material that not only remains flexible, but can also self-heal after damage at temperatures where most polymer materials become brittle and fail.

Journal: Nature Materials

21-Jan-2026

AI can predict preemies’ path, Stanford Medicine-led study shows

Stanford Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An artificial intelligence algorithm used newborn blood samples to shed light on the biological complexity of what can go wrong after preterm birth, a Stanford Medicine-led study found.

Journal: Science Translational Medicine

21-Jan-2026

Medical LLMs may show real-world potential in identifying individuals with major depressive disorder using WhatsApp voice note recordings

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new medical large language model (LLM) achieved over 91 percent accuracy in identifying female participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder after analyzing a short WhatsApp audio recording where participants described their week, according to a study published January 21, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health by Victor H. O. Otani, from Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences and Infinity Doctors Inc., Brazil, and colleagues.

Journal: PLOS Mental Health

21-Jan-2026

AI platform helps cities develop within planetary boundaries

Frontiers
Meeting Announcement

Genisys AI today announced the launch of AI Polis, a pioneering AI-powered platform that helps cities plan and scale sustainable, people-centered growth. The announcement was made during a session at the Frontiers Science House, taking place on the Davos Promenade alongside the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026.

21-Jan-2026

New UMass Amherst-led study shows that analog hardware may solve internet of things’ speedbumps and bottlenecks

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The ubiquity of smart devices—not just phones and watches, but lights, refrigerators, doorbells and more, all constantly recording and transmitting data—is creating massive volumes of digital information that drain energy and slow data transmission speeds. With the rising use of artificial intelligence in industries ranging from healthcare and finance to transportation and manufacturing, addressing the issue is becoming more pressing.

Funder: Army Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research

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

Latest News Releases

Computing using real life traffic, novel approach to AI cuts its energy usage

AI@HHMI: Accelerating the development of new biological sensors

Breakthrough organic crystalline material repairs itself in extreme cold temperatures, unlocking new possibilities for space and deep-sea technologies

AI can predict preemies’ path, Stanford Medicine-led study shows

Medical LLMs may show real-world potential in identifying individuals with major depressive disorder using WhatsApp voice note recordings

AI platform helps cities develop within planetary boundaries

New UMass Amherst-led study shows that analog hardware may solve internet of things’ speedbumps and bottlenecks