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: 25-Jun-2026 16:16 ET (25-Jun-2026 20:16 GMT/UTC)
How does childhood trauma get embedded in the body? New study uncovers mechanisms linking fear learning, brain function and inflammation
KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Peer-Reviewed Publication
Fear learning is a key adaptive mechanism, but its links to the immune system remain unclear, especially in people with childhood maltreatment. This study examined whether the type and timing of childhood abuse and neglect influence the relationship between brain function during fear learning and inflammation. Data were collected from 128 adults, including inflammatory markers (IL-8, IL-17) and fMRI brain scans during a fear conditioning task. Results revealed that the type and timing of childhood maltreatment differentially moderate associations between fear-related brain activity, functional connectivity, and inflammatory levels. These findings help explain how early adversity increases long-term health risks by altering neural-immune interactions.
- Journal
- Brain Science and Child Development
- Funder
- National Youth Project for National Social Sciences Fund of China
Pushy NHS chatbots risk putting patients off screening appointments, researchers warn
University of SurreyPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Lingua
From dusk till dawn
Max Planck Institute for AstronomyPeer-Reviewed Publication
Ultrahot exoplanet, atmospheric differences: Researchers discovered clear differences in the atmosphere between the morning and evening sides of the ultrahot gas planet WASP-121 b using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Temperature and chemical variations: The evening side absorbs more infrared light due to higher temperatures caused by strong winds moving heat eastward, while water molecules decrease in the evening terminator due to high temperatures breaking them apart.
Planetary rotation and observation method: WASP-121 b’s synchronous rotation reveals different atmospheric regions during transit, allowing scientists to analyse changes in light absorption over time and longitude.
- Journal
- Nature Astronomy
Toward battery-free artificial photosynthesis: Stable fuel production at lower cost
Osaka Metropolitan UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
Researchers innovated artificial photosynthesis technology by optimizing the electrolyzer part of the system. This tweak enables the continuous production of solar fuel, even with fluctuations in sunlight intensity.
- Journal
- EES Solar
- Funder
- Iida Group Holdings Co., Ltd.
To discover new physics, AI may need to “unlearn” the old one
Sissa MedialabPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics