Want to seem like the smartest member of your family these holidays? Why not brag about your vast knowledge of AI? It was a big year for artificial intelligence, so here's a round-up of Cosmos' AI favourites from 2021. A team of researchers from the University of Glasgow, UK, used machine learning algorithms to find future zoonotic (originating in animals) virus threats. According to the researchers, a major stumbling block for understanding zoonotic disease has been that scientists tend to prioritise well-known zoonotic virus families based on their common features.

Vertigo is a common but under-treated medical condition that affects up to 40% of people at some point in their lives. Currently, the diagnosis and treatment of vertigo-causing conditions is done primarily by specialists who represent only 1% of the doctors in Australia, but AI could change this. Dr Allison Young has recently received a junior fellowship from The Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation to address this. Her project, in collaboration with clinicians, data scientists and statisticians, will use machine learning and AI techniques to develop a "virtual expert" diagnostic tool to assist the diagnosis of vertigo-causing conditions in the hospital emergency room, general practice, and in outpatient clinics.