Artificial intelligence group DeepMind has solved a biological problem that scientists struggled with for almost 50 years.
AlphaFold, the group’s new program, can predict how proteins fold into 3D shapes, reports The Guardian. It sounds deceptively simple, but this is a complex process fundamental to understanding our biology.
The implications of this are dizzying - from helping researchers figure out the exact mechanisms that create diseases to helping develop new medicines, better crops and even “green enzymes” that can break down plastic pollution.
Well because it wasn't an easy task! Proteins are chains of amino acids that take myriad shapes, for example, like a googol cubed, or 1 followed by 300 zeroes.
While scientists have discovered around 200m proteins, they only understand the structures of a few. Traditionally these shapes take years of labour and lab work to discover, and while computer scientists have sped up the process the technology offered by AI is unparalleled.
(With inputs from The Guardian.)
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