When we're sick, the doctor prescribes a pill, but we rarely think about how that drug got to us. The process begins with scientists studying a library of chemical compounds to choose the most suitable one to solve the problem while causing minimal side effects. To achieve this, they conduct an initial experiment on cells growing in a culture dish, then on animals, and finally on humans. This is the protocol that has been used for decades and has allowed us to have pharmacies full of solutions for almost every disease. But there have always been critical voices questioning whether animal experimentation was truly necessary. The reasons are primarily ethical, related to the unnecessary suffering of beings capable of feeling pain. Lately, this viewpoint has gained influence, and some countries have begun to take steps to eliminate these studies altogether.

Tumors can have thousands of mutations, but only a few are significant and cause disease. Understanding which ones trigger cancer is crucial for targeting precise and effective treatments. And yet, it remains a major and often insurmountable challenge in biology. This could now begin to change thanks to an AI developed by the Google DeepMind lab, which will allow for a better understanding of the genome and a more efficient and rapid interpretation of differences in DNA sequences.

At the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, they do not recall any ovation as long as the one received by Oriol Vinyals (Sabadell, 1983) when he was awarded a doctorate at the end of November. honorary causeMinutes and minutes of standing ovation followed to honor the alumnus of the double degree program in telecommunications engineering and mathematics who has made crucial contributions to the development of artificial intelligence. In fact, he is among the top 10 most cited AI researchers in the world.