AI-developed methane emissions mitigation and drug testing

A Palo Alto-based startup wants to start releasing iron particles into the exhaust stream of an ocean-crossing transport ship within the next 18 months.

Blue Dot Change hopes to determine whether the particles will accelerate the destruction of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

He is one of a handful of small commercial ventures eager to test whether the release of similar particles could curb climate change. But little is known about the other effects of the particle release, including potentially dangerous ones. Read the full story.

—James Temple

AI imagines drugs that no one has ever seen. Now we have to see if they work.

At 82, suffering from an aggressive form of blood cancer that six courses of chemotherapy had failed to eradicate, “Paul” seemed out of options. His doctors have enrolled him in a trial testing a new technology that matches individual patients with the drugs they need.

Two years later, Paul’s cancer was gone. The technology was developed by Exscientia, which is one of hundreds of startups exploring the use of machine learning in pharmaceuticals, with a shared vision of using AI to make drug discovery faster and easier. less expensive.

AI is already changing the way drugs are made. Still, AI drug discovery is still in its infancy, and many companies say they can’t back it up. Read the full story.

—Will Douglas Heaven