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Solving an extinction mystery

AlphaFold: Impact stories

Scientists are using AlphaFold to accelerate research in nearly every field of biology.

Over 2 million researchers in over 190 countries are using the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database to inform their research.

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From building more effective malaria vaccines to breaking down single-use plastics, AlphaFold is helping scientists accelerate research in nearly every field of biology.

It normally takes four years to identify and characterise one of these small proteins. With the help of AlphaFold we managed 23 in a few months.

Professor Renier van der Hoorn
University of Oxford

AlphaFold has allowed us to take our project to the next level, from a fundamental science stage to the preclinical and clinical development stage.

Professor Matthew Higgins
Biochemist

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Solving an extinction mystery

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22 September 2022

Solving an extinction mystery

Genyornis newtoni was an ancient, ostrich-sized bird – dubbed the ‘demon-duck of doom’ for its huge head. It lived in Australia, but disappeared from fossil records about 50,000 years ago.

Burned eggshells, buried in the sand, led to suggestions that early humans caused their extinction. But the evidence was not clear cut.
Researchers turned to AlphaFold to help fill in the gaps.

Research credits

  • Professor Beatrice Demarchi, University of Turin
  • Assistant Professor Josefin Stiller from the University of Copenhagen
  • Professor Matthew Collins, University of Cambridge and University of Copenhagen