When the researchers at Google DeepMind unveiled AlphaFold3 in Nature in May 2024, they did something controversial. Instead of releasing the code to enable other researchers to verify and build upon their protein structure prediction model, they restricted access via a web server. The computational biology community erupted. More than 1,000 researchers signed an open letter condemning the decision as a failure to follow scientific norms. Roland Dunbrack, a computational structural biologist who reviewed the paper, called the decision 'an incredible disservice to science.' The backlash worked, and DeepMind released the code in November 2024. When it comes to wet lab research, however, we've been withholding our 'code' for centuries with no outcry. Unlike computer code, which captures a model's process in machine-readable format, biological protocols operate through layers of human interpretation and tacit knowledge. Seemingly trivial details, such as the brand of plastic tubes used,...
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