The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2024, recognising the significant contributions of three remarkable scientists. David Baker from the University of Washington and Howard Hughes Medical Institute has been awarded one half of the prize for his pioneering work in computational protein design. The other half is jointly awarded to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper from Google DeepMind for their groundbreaking AI model that predicts protein structures.

The Importance of Proteins in Life

Proteins are vital to life, acting as catalysts for chemical reactions and forming the structural foundation for cells and tissues. Baker’s innovative research has led to the creation of entirely new proteins, which could revolutionise pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and nanotechnology. His approach utilises the 20 amino acids that compose proteins, leading to unique protein structures with diverse applications.

Transforming Protein Structure Prediction

The challenge of predicting protein structures has existed for over 50 years. Since the 1970s, researchers have struggled to develop reliable methods for predicting how amino acid sequences fold into three-dimensional structures. In 2020, the introduction of the AlphaFold2 AI model by Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper transformed this field. The model can accurately predict the structures of nearly all known proteins, facilitating advancements in various scientific domains, including antibiotic research and environmental science.

Implications for Humanity

Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, highlighted the impact of these discoveries, noting their potential to transform our understanding of life at the molecular level. The ability to design new proteins and predict their structures holds vast possibilities for humanity, paving the way for new therapeutic interventions and biotechnological innovations.

New research has uncovered how the brain organises daily experiences into meaningful segments, much like scenes in a film. While we perceive life as a continuous flow, our brains automatically break memories into distinct moments. Scientists have long debated whether these boundaries are set by environmental changes or if they are determined by personal interpretation. Now, a study led by Christopher Baldassano, associate professor of psychology at Columbia University, suggests that the brain actively chooses these transitions based on our goals and experiences, offering new insights into memory formation.

How does the brain decide where one memory ends and another begins?

To explore this, Baldassano and his team conducted a brain-scan experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Volunteers listened to narratives involving various scenarios, such as a business deal, a proposal, and a breakup, while their brain activity was recorded. The research focused on changes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a brain region involved in processing ongoing events.

The results showed that when key social events in the narratives occurred, such as the closing of a business deal, brain activity spiked, indicating a mental shift. Interestingly, when participants were instructed to focus on specific details like locations, their brain activity adjusted, showing how attention can change how we segment experiences.

The impact of attention on memory formation

The study also found that participants remembered details they focused on, but often forgot parts they weren’t instructed to pay attention to. This highlights how flexible memory is and how our attention shapes what we remember. David Clewett, assistant professor of cognitive psychology at UCLA, noted that the findings show we have significant control over how we interpret and remember events. Clewett believes that focusing on key moments could improve memory retention, which could be particularly useful in treating conditions like PTSD and dementia.

This research opens up new possibilities for understanding how memory works, suggesting that by consciously directing our focus, we might better control how we store and recall our experiences.

A powerful solar storm is predicted to reach Earth on Thursday, 10th October, according to forecasters from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The storm could generate stunning auroras and affect radio communications, power grids, and satellites. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) has issued a G4-class geomagnetic storm warning, the second-highest level on their scale. A similar storm was last seen in May of this year, causing dramatic auroral displays.

The solar flare and its consequences

This event stems from a massive solar flare, classified as X1.8, which erupted from the sun on the night of 8th October. The flare was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME), which is now speeding towards Earth. Shawn Dahl, service coordinator at SWPC, explained that the impact could vary depending on how the CME’s magnetic field aligns with Earth’s. A direct connection would heighten the storm’s intensity, while a mismatch might lessen its impact.

Impact on auroras and communications

The SWPC estimates that the solar storm could impact communications, power grids, and satellites. Auroral displays, also known as the northern and southern lights, are expected to be more vivid and visible at lower latitudes, offering a rare sight for observers across the US. Dahl mentioned that the CME is moving at extraordinary speeds, up to 2.9 million miles per hour, and could begin affecting Earth’s magnetic field as early as Thursday morning.

What to expect

Geomagnetic storms can also disrupt communication systems and power grids. NOAA encourages aurora watchers to keep an eye on real-time solar wind data and be prepared for potential disruptions in services. The intensity of the auroras will depend on how the storm evolves as it reaches Earth, with the strongest effects possibly appearing in the evening of 10th October.