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Generative design of novel bacteriophages with genome language models (www.biorxiv.org)

submitted 1 week ago by crt0o@discuss.tchncs.de to c/biology@mander.xyz

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Bonkers preprint, the guys generated phage genomes with AI, synthesized them, and some were actually functional viruses capable of infecting E. coli.

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[–] plyth@feddit.org 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This is fascinating and frightening. It's only a matter of time until there is the next lockdown.

[–] crt0o@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 week ago

Well the models were trained on bacteriophages, so it's pretty much impossible that the viruses could be human pathogens, still scary af though lol

[–] PhilipTheBucket@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Bird flu is still out there too, and it seems likely that by the time it figures out humans, the US public health apparatus will be basically destroyed.

Ever lived through a plague in the middle ages? Would you like to?