A powerful AI model called Deep Novel Mutation Search (DNMS) predicts virus mutations more accurately and efficiently than traditional, time-consuming lab experiments. Focused on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the model uses a specialized protein language model fine-tuned to understand the virus's specific “language.” DNMS can predict mutations that cause small, functional changes – crucial for viruses like SARS-CoV-2, which evolve through subtle adjustments to maintain function. This approach promises to enhance virus tracking and public health by predicting mutations more accurately and quickly.

UChicago researchers develop a new technology to create a spatial map of gene expression for an entire organism.

University of Texas at Dallas developed a new theory to explain heat transfer on advanced surfaces, which they outline in an article published online March 13 in the physical science journal Newton.

The theory is critical to the researchers’ work to develop innovative surfaces for applications such as harvesting water from air without electricity.

Getting zapped with millions of volts of electricity may not sound like a healthy activity, but for some trees, it is. A new study, published in New Phytologist, reports that some tropical tree species are not only able to tolerate lightning strikes, but benefit from them. The trees may have even evolved to act as lightning rods. The research was led by Evan Gora, a forest ecologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Gora studies how lightning impacts biodiversity and carbon storage in Panama’s tropical forests.