In 2020, Google DeepMind unveiled AlphaFold 2, a machine-learning algorithm that in 2022 would prove capable of predicting, with near-experimental accuracy, the structure of nearly every known protein. The breakthrough recently earned co-founder and CEO Demis Hassabis and AlphaFold team lead John Jumper a Nobel prize in chemistry. Now there’s a sequel: AlphaFold 3, released in May, predicts how proteins interact with DNA and other molecules. “AlphaFold 2 was a story about proteins,” Jumper says. “AlphaFold 3 is about how proteins talk to everything else.” Many in pharmaceuticals and medicine believe that the new model’s predictions will accelerate research and drive faster drug discovery.
Learn More at Google DeepMind AlphaFold 3
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How the Electoral College Actually Works
- Your Vote Is Safe
- Mel Robbins Will Make You Do It
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- The Surprising Health Benefits of Pain
- You Don’t Have to Dread the End of Daylight Saving
- The 20 Best Halloween TV Episodes of All Time
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com