Protein folding AI: "Will Change Everything"

[epenguin]

Google’s deep-learning program for determining the 3D shapes of proteins stands to transform biology, say scientists.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41...witter&utm_campaign=NatureNews_&sf240554249=1
K

 

[BWV]

Biology looks to be where AI can really shine, as it is simply too complex for human brains to grasp. Is the promise that AI can 'derive' biochemistry like a good human physicist can deduce a good hypothesis for physical phenomena from basic principles?

 

[epenguin]

As far as I understand it is definitely not deducing from basic principles, it is more like deducing any principles from experimental results. A very large number of them, and more than unassisted human minds manage to see the underlying patterns in. Er, I think that's induction rather than deduction.

Physical principles are used, seemingly to a limited extent by the programme, according to this related article https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01357-6 - the programme runs through structures to eliminate physically impossible ones. I would guess the combination of approaches, using physical calculations to refine the inductively predicted structures will in future be very powerful.

 

[kith]

Two comments by researchers:
https://moalquraishi.wordpress.com/...asp14-it-feels-like-ones-child-has-left-home/
https://www.blopig.com/blog/2020/12...r-protein-folding-biology-and-bioinformatics/