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 01:15 ET (3-Nov-2026 06:15 GMT/UTC)

Penn engineers use AI, Reddit to identify potential side effects of unapproved new GLP-1

University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using AI to analyze nearly 150,000 Reddit posts, Penn researchers identified patterns in self-reported symptoms among people claiming to take gray-market versions of retatrutide, the next-generation GLP-1 drug currently in clinical trials, demonstrating how AI-assisted analysis of social media could help identify emerging drug safety signals that warrant further investigation.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: University of Pennsylvania Health System

Using AI to boost advanced reactor safety

University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Grant and Award Announcement

University of Tennessee, Knoxville researchers are using artificial intelligence to improve safety analysis for advanced nuclear reactors. The project will develop faster, more accurate methods for identifying potential operational risks, helping engineers evaluate next-generation reactor designs and support the safe expansion of nuclear energy.

Simons Foundation launches $15M effort to help mathematicians navigate AI era

Simons Foundation
Grant and Award Announcement

Under a partnership, the Simons Foundation, Anthropic and OpenAI will commit $15 million in combined funding and resources. The foundation will manage and award the funding, including through an open call for proposals, to support workshops and initiatives that help researchers evaluate recent AI-assisted results, learn and use new tools, share perspectives and shape collective standards for AI use. Anthropic and OpenAI will also provide AI tools and computing resources to researchers supported by the Simons Foundation, extending beyond mathematics to include basic science.

Mizzou astronomer leads global team on NASA mission to create unprecedented view of the early universe

University of Missouri-Columbia

University of Missouri astronomer Haojing Yan is leading 130 researchers from 62 institutions to capture one of the deepest and widest views of the early universe ever made. Using NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and 386 hours of observation time, the team will study early galaxies, giant black holes and other cosmic mysteries to better understand how the universe evolved — and potentially uncover discoveries scientists haven’t yet imagined.

UC3M participates in a pioneering scientific project using AI to anticipate human behavior during epidemics

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Business Announcement

A consortium led by the University de Zaragoza, with the participation of Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), has been selected in the 2026 Health Research Call by the ”la Caixa” Foundation—one of the most competitive biomedical research funding calls in Spain and Portugal. The AIBEM project will develop artificial intelligence (AI)-driven epidemiological models capable of replicating how trust in health authorities, adherence to guidelines, misinformation, socioeconomic inequalities, and social determinants influence the spread of disease, while simultaneously evaluating the effectiveness of public health measures to mitigate community transmission.

Funder: “la Caixa” Foundation

Groundbreaking brain electrode implant developed in Lund University, Sweden to be tested on humans

Lund University

Tissue-friendly electrodes, developed by researchers at Lund University in Sweden, are now undergoing clinical trials at Skåne University Hospital. Using 30 electrodes, each thinner than a strand of hair, the researchers aim to investigate the possibility of more precise stimulation and mapping of the brain prior to deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Using electronic structure to guide AI in designing new materials

Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have developed MatterGen-e^-, a machine learning model for the inverse design of inorganic crystals. The model generates crystal structures with electronic-structure descriptors to match a target property, producing more valid, stable, unique, and novel structures than when the crystal structure is considered alone. Control experiments showed that only physically meaningful electronic descriptors improve stability and validity, whereas diversity increased regardless of the descriptors used.

Journal: npj Computational Materials

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