Lifeboat Foundation

We’ve all heard about the potential of artificial intelligence in the life sciences field. In 2020, the launch of AlphaFold 2, pioneered by Google DeepMind, took the world by storm and marked a new age in protein structure prediction. But now, AlphaFold 3 is transforming the landscape again. In this news highlight, we explore the new tech, compare it to its predecessor and take a look to the future.

Before the AI revolution, protein structure prediction heavily relied on experimental methods, such as X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy and, later, some complex computational methods like homology modelling. These methods were time consuming and costly, and were a major limiting step in drug discovery and development processes in particular. For years, scientists have been attempting to integrate the latest and greatest AI models into the field, in order to speed up the process and improve accuracy.

Enter AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence tool developed by Google’s DeepMind. The first version of the technology was released in 2018, but it was 2020’s AlphaFold 2 that made headlines – winning the prestigious Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP) 14 competition. Having gone through multiple major iterations, the most recent release, AlphaFold 3, is set to further transform the protein space. But what does it do, and how may it outperform its predecessor?

Algorithms like OpenAI’s GPT-4 are like brains frozen in time. A new study shows how future AIs could learn continuously in response to a changing world.

Dr. Joscha Bach introduces a surprising idea called “cyber animism” in his AGI-24 talk — the notion that nature might be full of self-organizing software age…

Astronomers have recently found hundreds of “polluted” white dwarf stars in our home galaxy, the Milky Way. These are white dwarfs caught actively consuming planets in their orbit. They are a valuable resource for studying the interiors of these distant, demolished planets. They are also difficult to find.

Historically, astronomers have had to manually review mountains of survey data for signs of these stars. Follow-up observations would then prove or refute their suspicions.

By using a novel form of artificial intelligence, called manifold learning, a team led by University of Texas at Austin graduate student Malia Kao has accelerated the process, leading to a 99% success rate in identification. The findings were published July 31 in The Astrophysical Journal.

The CEO for iPad design app Procreate is taking out his stylus and going to war with Silicon Valley’s latest heavily-invested upon baby. “I really f— hate generative AI,” said executive James Cuda in a viral Twitter post uploaded by his company.

In a stripped-down-style video usually reserved for an actor publically atoning for cheating, Cuda tore into his sector’s implementation of AI and vowed to never get aboard the train.

Noting he doesn’t often get in front of the camera, Cuda explained after getting peppered with questions about AI, he wanted to set the record straight. “I don’t like what’s happening in the industry and I don’t like what it’s doing to artists,” he said.

Boardwalk Robotics has introduced its new humanoid robot called Alex, aiming to enhance productivity and efficiency across various industries.

A video released by the firm showcases the humanoid, devoid of legs, carrying out various household tasks like organizing and cleaning a vessel.

Continue reading “Boardwalk’s new legless robot handles dumbbells and domestic chores” »

The CEO of Amazon Web Services suggested in leaked audio that human devs may not be coding in as little as two years.

Hundreds of medical algorithms have been approved on basis of limited clinical data. Scientists are debating who should test these tools and how best to do it.