4 mathematicians awarded 2022 Fields Medal

The International Mathematical Union has awarded this year’s Fields Medal to four outstanding mathematicians. Hugo Duminil-Copin for solving problems in phase transitions of matter in three and four dimensions; June Huh for various developments and novel proofs in combinatorics, combinatorial geometry, and algebra; James Maynard for advancing the understanding of Diophantine approximations and the distribution of prime numbers in small scales; and Maryna Viazovska for determining the densest packing of identical spheres in 8 dimensions and solving interpolation problems in Fourier analysis.

New, more effective CRISPR mechanisms described

Two studies from the University of Copenhagen identified new mechanisms behind CRISPR, a “molecular scissors” that can edit genes. The study demonstrated that unintended cuts in the genome (off-targets) are more effective than cuts at the intended location (on-targets). Off-tar- gets have an energy in the correct binding energy interval, which produces a sharper cut, unlike on-targets which fall outside of the interval. However, off-targets can disrupt the normal gene function through unnecessary mutations, thus requiring more research.

DART planetary defense test far exceeds NASA’s expectations

Throwing a rock as far as Mars and hitting a bullseye may seem impossible, but NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) has done basically that. The mission was a satellite one-way trip that aimed to collide the DART satellite with a near-Earth object. This may allow us to see how capable future kinetic-impact missions may be in redirecting asteroids away from Earth.

DART had targeted the asteroid Dimorphos, which in itself was orbiting a larger asteroid Didymos. The results of the mission had surpassed NASA’s expectations by a factor of more than 25, having redirected the asteroid’s orbit around Didymos by a sizable amount and releasing a tail of ejecta and debris that would extend from the asteroid by more than 10,000 km.

The crater left by DART’s impact is set to be surveyed by the European Space Agency’s Hera project with a new satellite in 2026.

New drugs close to inhibiting deadly cancer mutation

The KRAS gene, present in approximately 25% of all cases of cancer, has been deemed impossible to “drug” due to its chemical structure. However, seven drugs are currently under clinical trials which potentially inhibit the KRAS gene, stopping any signals of cell growth. These drugs target two common mutations in the gene: G12C, which is common in heavily smoking patients, and

Meta bridges ‘hole’ in protein structure prediction

Researchers from Meta (formerly known as Facebook) have recently unveiled ESMFold—a new AI network for predicting the structures of proteins from bacteria, viruses, and other tmicroorganisms. ESMFold uses a “large language model” wherein the AI can learn how to “fill in” obscure gaps in protein sequences and predict protein structures based on known information about “autocom- pleted” protein. Currently, the team has tested their network with over 600 million proteins and found more than one-third to be of high quality. While ESMFold is yet to be as accurate as leading protein structure prediction AI (e.g., DeepMind’s AlphaFold), it is significantly faster, which is vital for scaling to much larger protein databases.

G12D, which is common in non-smoking patients. G12C-targeting drugs target cysteine, which is more chemically reactive than other amino acids. The mechanism for G12D-targeting drugs remains unknown.

All of the drugs are currently under trial, except for Sotorasib, which is already approved for the treatment of nonsmall-cell lung cancers.