The Download: AI-designed viruses, and bad news for the hydrogen industry

Artificial intelligence can draw cat pictures and write emails. A research team in California says it used AI to propose new genetic codes for viruses--and managed to get several of them to replicate and kill bacteria. The work, described in a preprint paper, has the potential to create new treatments and accelerate research into artificially engineered cells. But experts believe it is also an "impressive first step" toward AI-designed life forms. Hydrogen is sometimes held up as a master key for the energy transition. It can be made using several low-emissions methods and could play a role in cleaning up industries ranging from agriculture to aviation to shipping.