Google DeepMind researchers are among the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

IT is a There is a recurring joke among chemists that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded, most often, for developments in biology. Recent examples include awards for a gene editing tool CRISPRin 2020; Directed Evolution of Enzymes and Antibodies, in 2018; and DNA Repair Mechanisms, in 2015. This year’s prize, which recognized work in the field of protein design and structure prediction, may be seen by some as a continuation of this trend. But the main message lies elsewhere: some of the best minds in chemistry don’t just make molecules, they make computer models, too.