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: 30-Dec-2025 08:11 ET (30-Dec-2025 13:11 GMT/UTC)
New AI model enhances crop growth monitoring with minimal field data
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of ScienceA research team has developed a novel deep learning framework that integrates 3D radiative transfer modeling (RTM) with a knowledge-guided convolutional neural network (KGCNN) to accurately and dynamically retrieve maize leaf area index (LAI) across different years and growth stages.
- Journal
- Plant Phenomics
AI system helps prevent workplace injuries
University of CincinnatiEngineers at the University of Cincinnati are developing new digital tools that employers can use to prevent worker injuries from accidents, repetitive stress and other common causes.
- Funder
- Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
UVic research predicts worldwide glacier erosion
University of VictoriaPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Nature Geoscience
- Funder
- Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization
Brain wiring in early childhood could hold key to flagging future ADHD risk, SFU study says
Simon Fraser UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Anew study by researchers at Simon Fraser University is shedding light on how the brain’s wiring in early childhood lays the foundation for attention skills— a key step toward characterizing healthy developmental patterns that could help identify young children at risk for attention-related challenges like ADHD.
Published in the journal eNeuro, the study examined how the brain’s structure and function develop and interact during the critical early childhood years. Importantly, the findings highlight early childhood as a window of opportunity for identifying and supporting children who may be at risk for attention difficulties.
“Think of it like a city,” explains Randy McIntosh, the study’s senior author and founder of SFU’s Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (INN). “The roads are the brain’s structure, and the traffic is the brain’s activity. In young kids at this age, it turns out the roads matter most. If the roads aren’t built well, traffic can’t flow smoothly, and that can affect how well kids can focus, switch tasks, and ignore distractions.”
- Journal
- eNeuro
- Funder
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Texas A&M researchers use AI to forecast pollution
Texas A&M University- Journal
- Process Safety and Environmental Protection
- Funder
- Gulf Research Program
Designed for healing: ‘Architecture for health’ shapes the future of health care spaces
Texas A&M UniversityWith deep industry ties, hands-on learning and a legacy of innovation, the Architecture for Health program at Texas A&M University prepares future architects to transform environments and lives.