This week, we discuss the new deep learning model AlphaGenome and visit the very beginning of life on Earth with Mason Wakley and Neil Withers.
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Small variations in the human genome can have a big impact on a person’s health, causing genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis or certain cancers. But considering the human genome consists of 3 billion letters of code, studying these variations can be incredibly time-consuming and resource heavy. Enter Google DeepMind’s latest tool, AlphaGenome. It’s able to predict the molecular impact of single base pair variations across entire DNA sequences up to a million base pairs in length. It sounds impressive, but how will this new tool shape the future of genetics research?
And speaking of genetics, last week’s feature focused on the other main kind of genetic material, RNA. In particular, it discusses the RNA world hypothesis, which is the idea that long before the dinosaurs, the Cambrian period, even before cells, life was based on RNA as opposed to DNA. This theory looks specifically at out planet’s early history, shortly after its formation about 4 billion years ago. Essentially, we’re looking to explain the very origins of life itself.
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