Aided by machine learning, scientists find a novel antibiotic
For decades, discovering novel antibiotics meant digging through the same patch of dirt. Biologists spent countless hours screening soil-dwelling microbes for properties known to kill harmful bacteria. But as superbugs resistant to existing antibiotics have spread widely, breakthroughs were becoming as rare as new places to dig.
Now, artificial intelligence is giving scientists a reason to dramatically expand their search into databases of molecules that look nothing like existing antibiotics.
A study published Thursday in the journal Cell describes how researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used machine learning to identify a molecule that appears capable of countering some of the world’s most formidable pathogens....
Stephen Stockwell wrote: People's Google searches, social media posts and even chatbot questions are being used by artificial intelligence to try and predict where the novel coronavirus is going to pop up next.
Key points
• HealthMap is one technology using artificial intelligence to track the coronavirus outbreak •The technology uses publicly available data as well as information submitted through crowdsourcing • Other projects are tracking flight data and online purchases to learn more about the spread of the virus
excerpt from, "Coronavirus outbreak the focus of artificial intelligence that is helping predict where it will strike next" â—ðŸ‘
Hmmm...machine learning. I hope it doesn't get to the point shown in '2001-a space odyssey' where the machines decide human beings are a problem and should be eliminated.