AI’s transformative impact on scientific discovery reached new heights in 2024, with breakthroughs spanning ancient texts, marine biology, archaeology, and molecular science.
Historic breakthrough in ancient text analysis: The Vesuvius Challenge demonstrated AI’s power to unlock previously inaccessible historical knowledge by decoding carbonized scrolls from ancient Rome.
- Using AI and high-resolution X-rays, researchers decoded over 2,000 characters from scrolls preserved by Mount Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 AD
- The project aims to decode 90% of four scrolls by the end of 2024, revealing unprecedented information about ancient Roman and Greek civilization
- Professor Brent Seales describes the AI technology as a “superpower” that enables researchers to detect ink traces invisible to the human eye
Marine communication advances: AI tools made significant progress in decoding whale communication patterns, opening new possibilities for understanding marine life.
- Machine learning analyzed nearly 9,000 recorded click sequences from approximately 60 Caribbean sperm whales
- The analysis revealed 18 rhythm types, 5 tempo types, and other sophisticated patterns suggesting complex communication structures
- While AI excels at pattern recognition, determining the actual meaning of these whale communications remains a challenge
Archaeological discoveries: AI systems accelerated the discovery of ancient geoglyphs in Peru’s Nazca Desert.
- Researchers trained AI models using high-resolution imagery of 430 known Nazca symbols
- The project identified 303 new figurative geoglyphs in just months, nearly doubling the known count
- Despite generating many false positives, the AI system proved valuable for screening large areas efficiently
Protein structure breakthrough: AlphaFold‘s database revolutionized our understanding of protein structures.
- The AI tool can now predict structures for almost 200 million known proteins
- Over 2 million researchers worldwide have accessed the database
- The achievement earned recognition with the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to its developers
- The tool has limitations with mutated sequences and certain protein variations
Looking ahead: While AI has demonstrated remarkable capabilities in scientific discovery, challenges remain in terms of accuracy, reproducibility, and the “black box” nature of many AI systems. The UK’s Royal Society has raised concerns about these limitations, even as the technology continues to evolve and find new applications across scientific disciplines.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...