According to the statement made on the University of Sydney’s website, researchers from many institutes, including the University of Sydney and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, discovered 161 thousand 979 new types of viruses whose genetic material is RNA (ribonucleic acid) using artificial intelligence technology.
In the research, where a deep learning algorithm was created with artificial intelligence, scientists created a deep learning algorithm called LucaProt to calculate genetic sequence data such as virus genomes extending up to 47 thousand 250 nucleotides to discover viruses.
LARGE NUMBER OF NEW VIRUS SPECIES DISCOVERED IN A SINGLE STUDY
Researchers stated that the information of most of the discovered viruses is in existing databases, and that this data is organized and categorized using artificial intelligence technology.
Edwards Holmes, one of the authors of the study, described the study as “a window into a hidden part of life on Earth” and emphasized that this study was the largest number of new virus species discovered in a single study.
Stating that there are millions more virus types to be discovered, Holmes noted that the same application can be used to discover bacteria and parasites.
Another author of the study, Mang Shi, stated that before artificial intelligence technology was used, bioinformatics pipelines were used, but this limited the diversity that could be discovered.
Noting that the created artificial intelligence model allows a much more in-depth examination of viral diversity, Mang stated that they plan to use this model in various applications. The research was published in the journal “Cell”.
Source: AA