Researchers from Zhejiang University and HKUST (Guangzhou) have introduced ProtET, an innovative AI-powered multi-modal protein editing model published in Health Data Science. ProtET leverages advanced transformer-structured encoders and a hierarchical training paradigm to align protein sequences with natural language instructions, enabling precise and controllable protein editing.

 

The model was trained on over 67 million protein-biotext pairs from Swiss-Prot and TrEMBL databases and demonstrated significant improvements across key benchmarks, including 16.9% enhanced protein stability, optimized enzyme catalytic activity, and improved antibody-antigen binding affinity. ProtET’s zero-shot capabilities successfully designed SARS-CoV antibodies with stable 3D structures, highlighting its real-world biomedical applications.

 

This research represents a major advancement in AI-driven protein engineering, offering a scalable and interactive tool for scientific discovery, synthetic biology, and therapeutic development.

A pre-Columbian society in the Amazon developed a sophisticated agricultural engineering system that allowed them to produce maize throughout the year, according to a recent discovery by a team of researchers from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB) and the Department of Prehistory at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (Spain); the Universities of Exeter, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading and Southampton (UK); the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and Bolivian collaborators. This finding contradicts previous theories that dismissed the possibility of intensive monoculture agriculture in the region.

A recent study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts delves into the structural characteristics and immunomodulatory activities of polysaccharides extracted from Russula vinosa Lindblad using potassium hydroxide (KOH). The research, led by Qiang Yong from Nanjing Forestry University, China, provides valuable insights into the potential applications of these bioactive compounds in pharmaceuticals and functional foods.

A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts presents a novel method for enhancing the performance and reprocessability of polypropylene-lignin blends using plasma treatment. The research, led by Gianmarco Griffini from Politecnico di Milano, Italy, demonstrates significant improvements in the mechanical and thermal properties of these blends without the need for solvents or chemical compatibilizers.

A McGill University researcher has discovered that Guiengola, a 15^th century Zapotec site in southern Oaxaca, Mexico, which had been thought to be simply a fortress where soldiers were garrisoned, was in fact a sprawling, fortified city. It covered 360 hectares, with over 1,100 buildings, four kilometres of walls, a network of internal roads and a clearly organized urban layout with temples and communal spaces such as ballcourts, and the elites and commoners lived in separate neighbourhoods.