Latest news with #biology
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Latent Labs launches web-based AI model to democratize protein design
About six months after coming out of stealth with $50 million in funding, Latent Labs has released a web-based AI model for programming biology. Latent Labs model has 'achieved state-of-the-art on different metrics' when testing the proteins it developed in a physical lab, according to Latent Labs CEO and founder Simon Kohl, a scientist who previously co-led DeepMind's AlphaFold's protein design team. State-of-the-art, or SOTA, is a term often used in the AI field that represents the industry's best performance to date on a specific task. 'We have computational ways of assessing how good the designs are,' he told TechCrunch, adding that a high percentage of proteins the model creates will be viable when tested in the lab. The company's foundational biology model, known as LatentX, enables academic institutions, biotech startups, and pharmaceutical companies to design novel proteins directly in their browser using natural language. LatentX goes beyond what's found in nature, creating entirely new molecule designs like nanobodies and antibodies with precise atomic structures. This approach can help develop new therapeutics at much faster rare. This ability to design entirely new proteins is what distinguishes LatentX from the AlphaFold, according to Kohl. 'Alpha fold is a model for protein structure prediction. So it allows you to visualize existing structures, but it doesn't, it doesn't let you generate new proteins,' he said. In contrast to AI-driven drug discovery companies like Xaira, Recursion or DeepMind spinout Isomorphic Labs, which focus on developing proprietary medicines, Latent Labs' business model involves licensing its model for use by external organizations. 'Not every company is in a position to build their own AI models, to have their own AI infrastructure, and to have their own AI teams,' Kohl said. While LatentX is available for free, Kohl said the company intends to eventually charge for advanced features and capabilities as they're introduced. Other companies providing open-sourced AI foundational models for drug discovery include Chai Discovery and EvolutionaryScale. Latent Labs is backed by Radical Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, Google's Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei and Eleven Labs CEO Mati Staniszewski.
TechCrunch
a day ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Latent Labs launches web-based AI model to democratize protein design
About six months after coming out of stealth with $50 million in funding, Latent Labs has released a web-based AI model for programming biology. Latent Labs model has 'achieved state-of-the-art on different metrics' when testing the proteins it developed in a physical lab, according to Latent Labs CEO and founder Simon Kohl, a scientist who previously co-led DeepMind's AlphaFold's protein design team. State-of-the-art, or SOTA, is a term often used in the AI field that represents the industry's best performance to date on a specific task. 'We have computational ways of assessing how good the designs are,' he told TechCrunch, adding that a high percentage of proteins the model creates will be viable when tested in the lab. The company's foundational biology model, known as LatentX, enables academic institutions, biotech startups, and pharmaceutical companies to design novel proteins directly in their browser using natural language. LatentX goes beyond what's found in nature, creating entirely new molecule designs like nanobodies and antibodies with precise atomic structures. This approach can help develop new therapeutics at much faster rare. This ability to design entirely new proteins is what distinguishes LatentX from the AlphaFold, according to Kohl. 'Alpha fold is a model for protein structure prediction. So it allows you to visualize existing structures, but it doesn't, it doesn't let you generate new proteins,' he said. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW In contrast to AI-driven drug discovery companies like Xaira, Recursion or DeepMind spinout Isomorphic Labs, which focus on developing proprietary medicines, Latent Labs' business model involves licensing its model for use by external organizations. 'Not every company is in a position to build their own AI models, to have their own AI infrastructure, and to have their own AI teams,' Kohl said. While LatentX is available for free, Kohl said the company intends to eventually charge for advanced features and capabilities as they're introduced. Other companies providing open-sourced AI foundational models for drug discovery include Chai Discovery and EvolutionaryScale. Latent Labs is backed by Radical Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, Google's Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei and Eleven Labs CEO Mati Staniszewski.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Boy or girl? Chance of having a son or daughter is NOT 50/50, scientists say
From flipping a coin to guessing the outcome of a yes/no question, there are many things that have a 50/50 chance of happening. For years, it was assumed that the chance of having a son or daughter also fit into this category. But a shocking new study has revealed that this isn't actually the case. Scientists from Harvard University have discovered that some women are much more likely to have children of only one sex. In their study, the team analysed data from more than 58,000 mothers who had given birth to at least one child. Their results revealed that maternal age plays a key role in determining the sex of the babies. 'The human sex ratio has long been of interest of biologists, statisticians, demographers, sociologists, and economists,' the team explained. 'Here, we showed that within each sibship size, sex at birth did not conform with a simple binomial distribution and identified a significant intramother correlation in offspring sex.' The sex of a baby is determined by the combination of sex chromosomes inherited from the sperm and egg. While the egg always carries an X chromosome, the sperm can either carry an X or a Y. If the sperm carrying an X chromosome fertilises the egg, the embryo will be female, while the embryo will be male if it's a Y chromosome. This has long been considered to be a 50/50 split. However, in their new study, published in Science Advances, the scientists questioned whether this is really the case. 'Several coauthors, however, observed cases of friends, colleagues, first-degree relatives, or themselves that produce offspring of only one sex raising questions about chance,' the team explained. To get to the bottom of it, the team analysed data from 58,007 US women who had had at least two children. The researchers investigated the impact of eight maternal traits - height, body mass index, race, hair colour, blood type, chronotype (whether or not you're an early bird or a night owl), age at first menstruation, and the age when they had their first child. What determines the sex of a baby? The sex of a baby is determined by the combination of sex chromosomes inherited from the sperm and egg. While the egg always carries an X chromosome, the sperm can either carry an X or a Y. If the sperm carrying an X chromosome fertilises the egg, the embryo will be female, while the embryo will be male if it's a Y chromosome. Seven of these traits did not impact the sex of the baby. However, their analysis uncovered a key link between the age at which the mother had their first child, and whether or not they had boys or girls. Women who were older than 28 when they first gave birth had a 43 per cent chance of having children of only one sex. But women who were younger than 23 when they first became a mother only had a 34 per cent chance of having children of only one sex. 'Older maternal age may be associated with higher odds of having single-sex offspring, but other heritable, demographic, and/or reproductive factors were unrelated to offspring sex,' the researchers explained. The reason for this link remains unclear. However, the researchers say it could be associated with the physiological changes women go through as they age - including a shorter follicular phase, and a lower vaginal pH. 'A shorter follicular phase tends to favor Y chromosome survival, whereas a more acidic vaginal environment favors X chromosome survival,' the team explained. 'Each woman may have a different predisposition to each of these factors as they age, which could lead to a higher probability of consistently producing same-sex offspring. 'However, these mechanisms remain speculative, and more detailed data are required to confirm these hypotheses.' Overall, the findings suggest that the chance of having a boy or girl is not 50/50 after all. 'Families desiring offspring of more than one sex who have already had two or three children of the same sex should be aware that when trying for their next one, they are probably doing a coin toss with a two-headed coin,' they team concluded.
CBC
7 days ago
- Science
- CBC
U of S researcher studies impact of wildfire smoke on songbirds
Catherine Ivy is an assistant professor of biology at University of Saskatchewan. Her new research project is examining the impact of wildfire smoke on the songbird population.
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Science
- Forbes
How Teen Programs Offer Real Career Mentorship Beyond Resume Building
get real mentorship and experiences to help your career Katherine Meek's summer research project on the microbiome reinforced her passion for biology and opened her eyes to novel approaches in health improvement. The military child wasn't attending an expensive summer camp or paying for college prep courses—she was participating in a mentorship program through the Talaria Summer Institute. This free program pairs high school students with university researchers for authentic scientific work. This represents a significant shift in how organizations approach youth development in STEM fields. Rather than brief exposure experiences that primarily benefit participants' college applications, programs like Talaria Summer Institute are building structured pathways that develop young scientists while advancing genuine research. Why Traditional Youth Programs Fail at Real Mentorship Most teen programs promise career preparation but deliver little more than busy work. Students complete projects, attend workshops, and collect certificates—yet graduate without meaningful professional connections or practical skills that employers value. Traditional mentorship typically involves occasional conversations about career goals and general advice about work habits. While these interactions have value, they don't address the practical challenges teens face when trying to enter competitive fields or stand out in college applications. Scientific Mentorship Models That Advance Research In 2020, then-14-year-old Nora Sun, a WIT (Whatever It Takes) alum, launched the Talaria Summer Institute, demonstrating the significant impact that young leaders can have. Her creative approach to addressing gaps in STEM education reflects the entrepreneurial mindset she began developing through WIT, which has been fostering teen leadership and innovation since 2009. Talaria Summer Institute pairs high school students with professors, postdoctoral researchers, or Ph.D. candidates who specialize in the students' research interests. This one-on-one mentorship model offers personalized attention, resulting in genuinely immersive experiences. "Research drives the development of life-saving healthcare innovations," said Nora Sun, founder of Talaria. "However, it can be very challenging for students from underprivileged backgrounds who lack existing connections to break into research." During the program, participants meet with their mentor at least four times a month to work on a research project that culminates in a formal scientific research paper. Students then present their findings at the Talaria conference, and some are honored to have their work published in the organization's journal. Cross-Industry Mentorship: From Entrepreneurship to STEM Excellence The success of Talaria's mentorship model reflects broader trends in youth development programs. At WIT, which I founded in 2009, our internship and mentorship matching programs connect teens with meaningful work opportunities across various industries, from renewable energy startups to marketing agencies. Like Talaria's approach to scientific research, WIT participants work on authentic projects—building websites, managing social media campaigns, conducting market research—that create genuine business value while developing transferable professional capabilities. What sets both programs apart is their ability to combine accessibility with high standards. In 2022, Talaria accepted just 90 mentees from a pool of 700 applicants — a 13% acceptance rate — yet the program remains completely free to those selected. WIT takes a similar approach, keeping its programs accessible while still offering a rigorous, high-touch experience. Structured Mentorship Programs Remove Barriers While Maintaining Standards "My mentor and the program were very accommodating," said Katherine Meek, who completed her microbiome research through the Talaria program. "Talaria reinforced my love of biology and desire to improve health in novel ways that the general community hasn't yet considered." Talaria's model—completely free, flexible, and offering both in-person chapters and online options—was specifically designed to remove traditional barriers to research participation. This reflects a broader trend among successful mentorship programs: by removing financial and logistical obstacles, they open doors for talented young people to pursue opportunities regardless of their economic circumstances. At WIT, every applicant undergoes a personalized interview process, and participants receive professional development tailored to their specific entrepreneurial goals. Quality mentorship programs establish clear expectations, measurable goals, and accountability systems that ensure meaningful development occurs. Professional Network Building Through Strategic Mentorship Connections Talaria has collaborated with institutions such as MIT, Yale, NASA, NIH, the University of Toronto, and the University of Edinburgh, creating networking opportunities typically unavailable to high school students. Research papers from the program can be submitted with college applications to demonstrate authentic STEM interest, and select papers get published in Talaria's academic journal. This provides participants with genuine publication credentials that distinguish them from peers with only classroom-based science experience. To date, Talaria has worked with over 400 mentees from across the world through multiple program cycles. Unlike traditional volunteer programs, Talaria participants contribute to ongoing scientific research while developing professional capabilities. Talaria serves as the first research experience for 80% of mentees, and 95% report a significant increase in self-confidence following the program. These outcomes reflect the program's focus on authentic skill development rather than superficial exposure. The Future of Youth Development Through Authentic Mentorship Both Talaria and programs like WIT represent a growing recognition across industries that meaningful youth engagement requires structure, training, and authentic responsibility. Research supports this approach—studies show that structured youth programs with clear learning objectives and genuine community involvement produce significantly more positive outcomes than traditional volunteer tourism models. The programs also address criticism that professional opportunities often perpetuate inequality by requiring existing connections or financial resources. By removing these barriers, these initiatives create pathways for students who might otherwise lack access to career-building experiences. As more industries, including STEM, come to value cognitive diversity, programs that nurture young talent from a wide range of backgrounds have never been more critical. Teens benefit most from opportunities that blend rigorous academics or real-world work, meaningful mentorship, and hands-on projects — experiences that build skills and confidence long after college applications are done. For families seeking alternatives to traditional summer camps or part-time jobs, high-quality mentorship and internship programs stand out. They help students sharpen professional skills, strengthen their academic resumes, and explore possible career paths — all while contributing to real-world research, innovation, or business growth. What matters most is authenticity. The best mentorship programs give teens genuine ownership of their projects, offer thoughtful guidance, and establish clear goals. They don't relegate students to busywork or observation; instead, they invite them to make a real impact. When done right, these programs offer a competitive edge that makes the time and effort invested well worth it.
