EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

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.

Ocean Shot Award propels discovery through innovation

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Grant and Award Announcement

Support from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s Ocean Shot Research Grant program will enable an interdisciplinary team to advance a creative approach combining robotics, imaging, and genetic analysis to illuminate the world of deep-ocean animals.

Funder: Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Nippon Foundation

27-May-2025

NCSA shapes students’ computing dreams

National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Grant and Award Announcement

Former NCSA student researchers win the Cozad New Venture Challenge for their innovative software solution designed to help democratize artificial intelligence computing resources.

27-May-2025

Cell｜AI-driven in vivo 'decaging' chemistry, revolutionizing protein activation technology

Peking University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Peking University, June 1, 2025: To address the challenge of controlling protein activation in living animals for gain-of-function studies, researchers from Peking University led by Professors Chen Peng and Wang Chu recently developed CAGE-Proxvivo, a computer-aided proximal decaging strategy for on-demand protein activation and modulation of protein–protein interactions in living mice. This work establishes a universal platform for time-resolved biological studies and on-demand therapeutic interventions in vivo. These findings were published in Cell on May 27, 2025, under the title "Machine-Learning-Assisted Universal Protein Activation in Living Mice."

Journal: Cell

27-May-2025

AI aversion in social interactions

PNAS Nexus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An experimental study suggests that people are less likely to behave in a trusting and cooperative manner when interacting with AI than when interacting with other humans.

Journal: PNAS Nexus

27-May-2025

Can AI analogize?

PNAS Nexus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The authors evaluated a recent version of GPT-4 that can write and execute code, which allowed the model to create a code to count items. This LLM was able to solve these counterfactual letter-string analogies at a roughly human level of performance, and gave coherent and accurate explanations of why the correct solution was correct. According to the authors, GPT-4 can use analogies to reason.

Journal: PNAS Nexus

27-May-2025

New tool reveals how DNA nanostructures interact with cell membranes

Institute of Science Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a step towards engineering artificial cell membranes, researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) used quartz crystal microbalance with energy dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) to study how DNA nanopores interact with lipid bilayers. Unlike conventional optical methods, QCM-D tracks changes in mass and viscosity in real time, offering unique mechanical insights into DNA–lipid interactions. This approach paves the way for designing DNA-based membrane technologies that modify the functionality of cell lipid membranes.

Journal: Nanoscale
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tateishi Science and Technology Foundation, Telecommunications Advancement Foundation, Murata Science Foundation, Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association, Interdisciplinary Research Project of the Institute of Science Tokyo Academy for Leadership

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

Latest News Releases

Ocean Shot Award propels discovery through innovation

NCSA shapes students’ computing dreams

Cell｜AI-driven in vivo 'decaging' chemistry, revolutionizing protein activation technology

AI aversion in social interactions

Can AI analogize?

New tool reveals how DNA nanostructures interact with cell membranes

People accept euthanasia decisions made by AIs less than those made by humans