• FauxLiving@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Oh yeah, cancer is incredibility complex. I’m not remotely qualified to predict how this will be used.

    I’m on the tech side of things and the ability to read and write arbitrary amino acid sequences along with machine learning models trained to predict (ex: AlphaFold) and generate (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45051-2) protein structures is absolutely mindblowing.

    It’s like we’ve been working on computers by striking flint at their CPU and listening to the traces vibrate in order to interpret the output and now someone has figured out how to plug in a keyboard and monitor.

    We’re barely scratching the surface with these techniques and we’ve found multiple ways to make an AIDS vaccine and we’re discovering new ways to beat cancer. The rapid development of the COVID vaccine, thanks to mRNA, likely saved millions or tens of millions of people and prevented a global depression.

    It’s such an incredible time for human advancement, it’s a shame we’re all drowning in social media fueled toxicity and people don’t see it.

    • Valmond@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Yeah totally agree!

      I sometimes feel like I learned a lifetime of things, just to get it all thrown under the bus in the last 5-10 years, biological science is advancing so fast right now it’s mind blowing.

      mRNA also might treat allergies and take on parts of the deadliest disease too, aging.

      Interesting times!