AlphaFold's dataset took 50 years to build — and cell simulation is far harder
shae_mcl · x · 2026-10-26
- A viral post notes AlphaFold's training dataset (the PDB) took 50 years (1971–2020) to collect.
- David Bellamy adds key facts correcting naive takes on cell-simulation feasibility:
- AlphaFold only predicts a subset of static structures; it does not solve protein dynamics or how proteins fold — those remain unsolved.
- It works only on well-ordered regions, not intrinsically disordered regions or long flexible loops.
- It requires proteins with plenty of evolutionary relatives; orphan proteins are out of reach.
- Takeaway: cell simulation is vastly more complex and data-hungry than static structure prediction.
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