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: 13-Dec-2025 14:11 ET (13-Dec-2025 19:11 GMT/UTC)

9-Dec-2025

ECU researchers harness AI to solve major roadblock in solid-state battery technology

Edith Cowan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) are working on ways to make solid-state batteries more reliable with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

Journal: Advances in Colloid and Interface Science

9-Dec-2025

New fully digital design paves the way for scalable probabilistic computing

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University
Reports and Proceedings

You’ve heard of qubits, now get ready for p-bits! These units form the building blocks of probabilistic computers that can solve certain problems more efficiently than traditional computers. A team of international researchers found a way to do without a power-hungry, bulky, analog component to allow for a fully digital p-bit design.

9-Dec-2025

Personal risk tolerance has sweeping implications for how societies evolve

Santa Fe Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

How much risk is any individual willing to take on? That depends, in part, on their individual resources and environment, which shape the learning strategies that influence their personal proclivity toward risk. A new model, published by SFI External Professor Paul Smaldino and colleagues in Psychological Review, makes predictions that mirror many aspects of modern society.

Journal: Psychological Review

9-Dec-2025

Simulations reveal protein "dynamin" constricts cell membranes by loosening its grip

National Institutes of Natural Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Computer simulations revealed the detailed mechanism of how the protein "dynamin" works to form small vesicles within cells.

While dynamin uses GTP hydrolysis energy to change shape, it was unclear how this leads to membrane constriction. Simulations showed that instead of simply tightening, dynamin "loosens" (expands) at a certain stage to generate the force needed to narrow the surrounding membrane tube.

This study provides a clearer explanation for membrane deformation and vesicle formation processes in cells, offering insights for artificial nano-device design.

Journal: The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Funder: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A), Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

9-Dec-2025

New gene-mapping method unlocks hidden drivers of cancer

University of South Australia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of South Australia scientists have developed a powerful new way to uncover the genetic interactions that fuel cancer progression, paving the way for earlier and more precise treatments.

Journal: Royal Society Open Science
Funder: Australian Research Council

9-Dec-2025

The monster hiding in plain sight: JWST reveals cosmic shapeshifter in the early universe

University of Arizona
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Arizona astronomers discover a galaxy with a dual personality – appearing ordinary in visible light while appearing to accrete material at an extraordinary rate when observed in the infrared. Captured as it appeared just 800 million years after the Big Bang, the galaxy revealed an outsized black hole that calls into question prevailing theories about galaxies and their host galaxies growing together.

Journal: The Astrophysical Journal
Funder: NASA Headquarters, U.S. National Science Foundation, NASA Headquarters

9-Dec-2025

UT Dallas partners with Tech Mahindra on AI innovation

University of Texas at Dallas
Business Announcement

The University of Texas at Dallas has partnered with Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of technology consulting and digital solutions to enterprises across industries, to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, skill development and research.

UT Dallas has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tech Mahindra to facilitate collaboration with the India-based company, which opened its headquarters in the Americas in March in Plano, Texas.