The Ultimate Timeline of All Things AI
By the way, click once to zoom in on the link above. Right click the above photo>open in new tab and click once to zoom in.
One of the things that shocked me when I read about it was that a 50 year old protein solving problem had been solved by AlphaFold. I have no clue about protein folding or why it folds, or what proteins even refer to in what I'm assuming is going in a human body. However, when I read more into the research earlier this year (I was living under a rock) I was shocked at what sources said the implications could be from this. Scientists admitted that this AI could accelerate the rate at which scientific progress is made, though not completely replacing the scientist (source).
This video by Vertasium goes in depth about this:
It shocked me just how much AI has evolved over the past few years based on this. It started with a video game where gamer groups were tasked to see if they could solve the way that individual proteins folded- which was called Foldit. This was sciences first step in acknowledging and tackling this problem of folding.
Why does it matter though?
Some proteins fold because they have parts that love water and hate water and also want to stay in a low-energy state. Proteins or segments of proteins that hate water fall into the inside. However during this process segments of the protein can get tangled and become toxic or useless even though the cells provide methods to stop that from happening.
AlphaFold was designed to predict or discover the correct native shape using a 3d model, rather than providing a manual for unfolding.
Then the question becomes, what other areas does this work translate to? Particularly Physics and other branches of space science.
Researchers use what we discussed here to study the proteins of hardy organisms that can survive in space-like conditions. If organic molecules are found off earth, researches could use them to see if specific sequences could form a machine that survives in extreme environments like high radiation or extremely cold temperatures.
For longer term space missions, astronauts may not be able to carry every medicine or a required maximum quantity. So, they can use the solutions AlphaFold gave to sequence new proteins for bacteria and viruses using 3d printer, but for biology.
One of the coolest things that scientists are currently doing is using "protein bricks" that self-assemble into complex structures like carbon membranes and very lightweight cell sensors.
To summarise, the effects of this new AI is staggering. Along with NASA's advances in their AI for the Perseverance launcher are interesting steps in advances in this technology.
Thank you for reading and goodbye.