Tag: promising

There Are Some Promising Solutions, But Huge Numbers Of The Formerly Incarcerated Are Unemployed
SOCIAL JUSTICE

There Are Some Promising Solutions, But Huge Numbers Of The Formerly Incarcerated Are Unemployed

People who have been incarcerated face major challenges finding work after their release. About 45% of formerly incarcerated Americans were unemployed one year after leaving prison, according to a multiyear study the Brookings Institution released in 2018. CC BY-NC-ND This is far higher than U.S. joblessness levels, even during the coronavirus pandemic. The overall U.S. rate spiked to 14.7% in April 2020, receding to 6.7% by December – nearly twice where it stood at the end of 2019. Three factors essential to a successful transition from prison are employment, housing and transportation, and no one can afford stable housing or reliable transportation without employment. I’m researching two innovative ways to combat unemployment among the formerly incarcerated. One approach relies on so...
Promising Rapid Drug Development – One Of Biology’s Greatest Challenges – AI Makes Huge Progress Predicting How Proteins Fold
AI, TECHNOLOGY

Promising Rapid Drug Development – One Of Biology’s Greatest Challenges – AI Makes Huge Progress Predicting How Proteins Fold

Takeaways A “deep learning” software program from Google-owned lab DeepMind showed great progress in solving one of biology’s greatest challenges – understanding protein folding. Protein folding is the process by which a protein takes its shape from a string of building blocks to its final three-dimensional structure, which determines its function. By better predicting how proteins take their structure, or “fold,” scientists can more quickly develop drugs that, for example, block the action of crucial viral proteins. Solving what biologists call “the protein-folding problem” is a big deal. Proteins are the workhorses of cells and are present in all living organisms. They are made up of long chains of amino acids and are vital for the structure of cells and communication between ...