Alex Dickinson’s Post

Genetic algorithm enables precise design of phononic crystals

University of Southampton scientists have achieved an incredible milestone by storing the full human genome on a 5D memory crystal. This revolutionary data storage format has the potential to survive for billions of years. Learn more about this groundbreaking technology here: [Link to article] #DataStorage #TechnologyAdvancements

The next decade will see a race between genetic engineering spearheaded by CRISPR and Professor David Sinclair, and the development of Quantum computers approaching the invention of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Each field, when its goal is reached, would propel the other to reaching its own goal. AGI, or, alternatively, an advanced simulation of human biology on a Quantum computer, would allow for genetic engineering to run sufficient trials before mass implementations in far shorter timespans. Genetic engineering, on the other end of the scale, would allow for the increase in the average human intelligence, and an even larger boost in the positive outliers, making the invention of AGI inevitable. What comes next is up to humanity. Should this be compared by future historians to the Manhattan project or the discovery of penicillin and vaccines is entirely up to how ready we will be in terms of regulations and motivations for the upcoming technological revolution.

The new issue is out 👉 https://lnkd.in/dta7CF2Z Featuring AI-documented RNA virosphere, the neuronal circuitry underlying the winner effect and immunoglobin-associated senescence as a feature of tissue aging. ⁠ The cover, related to Hou et al., uses intricate geometric patterns and biological details to showcase various RNA virus structures, symbolizing the diversity and complexity of the viral world. The virus shapes in the image subtly resemble the digits 0 and 1, alluding to the binary system used in computers and indirectly reflecting the exploration of new viruses through artificial intelligence and computational technology. ⁠ 📷 Credit: Jianye Li, Wan Wang, and Zan Xu. Dayu Lin Eric Sundberg Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte

A computational biologist created simulations to model bacteria growth dynamics under stress. The bacteria start to divide and as soon as the colony expands, the cells pushed against each other intensifying cell crowding and slowing their proliferation rate. Their calculations revealed that, when push came to shove, the rapidly dividing bacteria at the colony’s center became a stress hub. The research group wants to apply these simulations to understanding the fundamental biophysical processes of bacterial growth. This will help to combat pathogenic bacteria during infections and improve microbial control. 

Quantum Genetic Algorithms (QGAs) offer a novel approach to problem-solving, promising significant advantages over traditional Genetic Algorithms (CGAs). Key Advantages of QGAs:  i. Exponential Speedup:   ii. Quantum Parallelism:   iii. Enhanced Exploration: With advanced Quantum Genetic Algorithms, it can benefit fields like:   a. Materials Science: Design novel materials b. Drug Discovery: Accelerate the development of new medications  c. Financial Modeling: Optimize investment portfolios d. Artificial Intelligence: Train sophisticated AI model Learn more: 

What do fruit pies 🥧, lego sets 🔧, and cities 🏙 have in common? They are all metaphors used to describe a revolutionary technology called spatial transcriptomics. In the latest Batch Effect post I explore how one of these metaphors can make anyone understand what is spatial transcriptomics, even if they are not biologists.

Following Bruker's recent announcement of their new Spatial Biology Group (NanoString-Canopy Biosciences-Acuity Spatial Genomics), an entirely expected move following on their USD 300M+ acquisition of NanoString, GEN posted an interview with Mark Munch (President of Bruker Nano) and Todd Garland (President of Bruker Spatial Biology) on where they see Bruker will take spatial biology. Some choice quotes: "GeoMX shouldn’t be overlooked because it is the only platform that can do whole transcriptome and 577 proteins. There’s nothing on the planet that can do that level of multiomics for region of interest-based exploration...We see spatial as a very important segment in the strategy of Bruker leading the post-genomic era...the box-based platforms have clearly evolved, and people vote with their dollars because they address needs, and they do what they do best. There’s another segment of people that will put up with the compromises of the products that don’t bring the same fidelity and the same information. But maybe they want a quick answer with a different capital investment. Those will exist, no doubt. But once you do that kind of work, then those researchers want to come back to the higher fidelity work...The box isn’t going away in this field at all. Boxes will continue to increase in their performance and functionality. And, more importantly, so will the breadth of assays that can be run on that box. And that’s really key." Regarding GeoMX, Mark tellingly left out "fast" and then there's the subtle dig at the Miseq i100 and other peripheral approaches toward spatial.

One of my favorite covers at Cell, so wallpaper-esque with a myriad of virus types. The cover represents a super cool paper from Mang Shi and colleagues who use a deep learning algorithm that integrates both sequence and predicted structural information to identify more than 160000 virus species across ecosystems, thus broadening our understanding of virus families. Their artificial intelligence based approach could help broaden our knowledge of other understudied organisms. https://lnkd.in/eNPDPgch #AI #deeplearning #virology