Machine Learning Research
Transformer models trained on sequences of amino acids that form proteins have had success classifying and generating viable sequences. New research shows that they also capture information about protein structure.
Science
A combination of computer vision and drones could help restore dwindling killer whale populations. Researchers at Oregon State University and conservation groups SR3 and Vulcan developed a system that assesses the health of orcas.
Tech & Society
The U.S. government aims to turbocharge biomedical AI research. The National Institutes of Health, which invests $41.7 billion annually in medical research, announced a program called Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (Bridge2AI) to promote machine learning in human biology and medicine.
Science
Many medical drugs work by modulating the body’s production of specific proteins. Recent research aimed to predict this activity, enabling researchers to identify drugs that might counteract the effects of Covid-19.
Science
An AI-powered collar may help protect wild elephants from poachers, hunters, and other hostile humans. Ten ElephantEdge wireless tracking collars will be fitted onto African elephants next year, TechCrunch reported.
Tech & Society
AI accelerated the search for a coronavirus vaccine, detected Covid-19 cases, and otherwise softened the pandemic’s blow. Machine learning researchers worldwide scrambled to harness the technology against the coronavirus.
Science
Covid Moonshot, an open-source project to vet potential medicines using machine learning, is closing in on compounds that might help curb Covid-19. Four new antiviral drugs identified by the project are ready to advance to animal trials.
Science
Many people worry that face recognition is intrusive, but wild animals seem to find it bearable. Melanie Clapham at University of Victoria with teammates of the BearID Project developed a model that performs face recognition for brown bears.
Science
Neural networks learned to tell one bird from another, enabling scientists to study their behavior in greater detail. Researchers from universities in Europe and Africa trained eural networks to recognize individual birds with up to 90 percent accuracy.
Science
Scientists who study animal behavior spend endless hours observing and taking notes about a creature’s actions and reactions. Computer vision could automate much of that work.
Interviews & Essays
Eric Topol is one of the world’s leading advocates for AI in medicine. Below he shares his insights into the fusion of AI and medicine and advice for machine learning engineers who want to get involved.
Machine Learning Research
Chemists typically develop new antibiotics by testing close chemical relatives of tried-and-true compounds like penicillin. That approach becomes less effective, though, as dangerous bacteria evolve resistance to those very chemical structures. Instead, researchers enlisted neural networks.