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: 20-May-2026 10:16 ET (20-May-2026 14:16 GMT/UTC)
Deep learning-based video snapshot compressive imaging of Leidenfrost droplets
KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Peer-Reviewed Publication
Researchers have developed a novel computational imaging system that integrates optical compression and deep learning to achieve high-speed video capture using only 5% of the data required by conventional cameras. The system successfully visualized Leidenfrost droplet dynamics at 1,200 frames per second, delivering performance comparable to commercial high-speed cameras while significantly reducing cost and storage requirements.
- Funder
- National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Zhejiang Provincial Distinguished Young Scientist Foundation, Zhejiang “Pioneer” and “Leading Goose” R&D Program, Key Project of Westlake Institute for Optoelectronics, 2023 International Sci-tech Cooperation Projects under the purview of the “Innovation Yongjiang 2035” Key R&D Program
Concern over growing use of AI chatbots to stave off loneliness
BMJ GroupPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- The BMJ
Frontier supercomputer ushers in new era of nuclear AI
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory- Funder
- Advanced Scientific Computing Research
Scientists uncover how Earth’s mantle locked away vast water in early magma ocean
Chinese Academy of Sciences HeadquartersPeer-Reviewed Publication
Recently, a team of researchers led by Prof. DU Zhixue from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIGCAS) has discovered that substantial amounts of water could have been efficiently "locked away" deep within the mantle as it crystallized from a molten state.
- Journal
- Science
SETI Institute announces Adrien Segal as recipient of the Planetary Futures Residency
SETI InstituteGrant and Award Announcement
The SETI Institute’s Artist in Residency (AIR) program announced that American artist Adrien Segal is the recipient of the Planetary Futures Public Art Residency. This research-creation residency invites the artist to collaborate with scientists whose work advances planetary science, with a focus on climate research. By connecting artistic practice with scientific discovery, the residency aims to foster dialogue, raise awareness, and inspire collective action, emphasizing how the study of other planets can provide valuable perspectives to better understand and address climate-related issues here on Earth. This two-year residency includes a $30,000 stipend.
Based in Oakland, CA, Adrien Segal is an internationally exhibited artist with work featured in books, academic journals and galleries around the world. She has participated in numerous Artist Residencies across the US, Canada, and Europe, and has work in permanent collections including the City of Homer, Alaska, the Museum of Art in Wood in Philadelphia, and the National Academy of Science in Washington, D.C. In 2022, Segal was a US-UK Fulbright Scholar with the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee in Scotland. Past appointments include the Latham Fellowship at IIT Institute of Design in Chicago, a Visiting Artist at San Diego State University, Benchspace Cork in Ireland, and the University of Lethbridge in Canada.
"I'm excited to welcome Adrien into the SETI Institute's Artist in Residence program," said Bettina Forget, SETI AIR Program Director. "She weaves together science, landscape, data, and materiality to create cross-disciplinary sculptural works that evoke deep emotional responses and a unique sense of place. I look forward to working with Adrien as she starts diving into the research at the SETI Institute."
New method improves the reliability of statistical estimations
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyReports and Proceedings
MIT researchers developed a method that generates more accurate uncertainty measures for certain types of estimation. This could help improve the reliability of data analyses in areas like economics, epidemiology, and environmental sciences.
- Funder
- MIT Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) seed grant, Office of Naval Research, Generali, Microsoft, National Science Foundation