Jerry Xu’s AI model is designed to compare the structures of proteins and amino acids rapidly. The structure of proteins gives important clues to how these molecules function. (Images: istock and Society for Science) Imagine, what if a protein’s complex 3-D structure could be converted into a simple string of numbers—and that string could help…

Andrea Mauk with her son Damon and husband Edward. (Photo: Andrea Mauk) For Andrea Mauk, the phone call telling her that her 18-year-old son Damon had died was already a moment no mother should ever have to endure. But while she was thousands of miles away in Costa Rica, grieving a son she could not…

Gas refinery at the South Pars gas field in Asalouyeh, Iran. (AP Photo) Iran has discovered more than 7.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas in its southern Fars province, even as months of conflict with the US and Israel have disrupted the country’s energy sector.Around 5.7 tcf of the newly discovered gas is…

Discarded Christmas trees Discarded holiday trees collected from living rooms across Alabama are finding a second life along the Gulf of Mexico, forming the foundation of a student-led coastal restoration campaign. Discarded Christmas trees collected from homes across Alabama are getting a second life along the Gulf of Mexico, helping form the base of a…