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The Conversation
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Sam McKee, Tutor and researcher in Philosophy of Science, Manchester Metropolitan University

An AI tool for predicting protein shapes could be transformative for medicine, but it challenges science’s need for proof

Protein DeepMind Google
Christoph Burgstedt / Shutterstock

An advanced algorithm that has been developed by Google DeepMind has gone some way to cracking one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in biology. AlphaFold aims to predict the 3D structures of proteins from the “instruction code” in their building blocks. The latest upgrade has recently been released. The latest upgrade has recently been released.

Proteins are essential parts of living organisms and take part in virtually every process in cells. But their shapes are often complex, and they are difficult to visualise. So being able to predict their 3D structures offers windows into the processes inside living things, including humans.

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