#153 – Dmitry Korkin: Evolution of Proteins, Viruses, Life, and AI

Lex Fridman Podcast

Dmitry Korkin is a professor of bioinformatics and computational biology at WPI. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Dmitry’s Website: http://korkinlab.org/
Dmitry’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dmkorkin

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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(07:21) – Proteins and the building blocks of life
(14:23) – Spike protein
(21:11) – Coronavirus biological structure explained
(26:09) – Virus mutations
(32:39) – Evolution of proteins
(42:25) – Self-replicating computer programs
(50:02) – Origin of life
(57:34) – Extraterrestrial life in our solar system
(59:31) – Joshua Lederberg
(1:05:30) – Dendral
(1:08:24) – Why did expert systems fail?
(1:10:35) – AlphaFold 2
(1:32:13) – Will AI revolutionize art and music?
(1:39:12) – Multi-protein folding
(1:43:39) – Will AlphaFold 2 result in a Nobel Prize?
(1:46:10) – Will AI be used to engineer deadly viruses?
(2:01:17) – Book recommendations
(2:11:00) – Family
(2:13:38) – A poem in Russian