Eterna is a videogame where you can invent medicine. You solve RNA design puzzles, and your solutions get synthesized and tested by biochemistry & robotics!
Stanford, CA
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Join the Eterna community tomorrow, Oct. 14 at 12:30 pm PT to hear @AF_Panescu discuss her RNA inverse design method and HJ Lee introduce his 3D prediction puzzle for modeling RNA aptamers docking a ligand.
Details at: eternagame.org/news/16535855
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Eterna retweeted
Our September session will feature "De Novo Design of RNA Pseudoknots with Deep Learning."
Speakers: Jill Townley (@eternagame), Chaitanya Joshi (@chaitjo), and Andrew Kubaney (Baker Lab)
Sept. 30th, 2-3 PM PT on Zoom.
See you there! Sign up via Luma below.
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Eterna retweeted
Can an LLM (without using other design models as tools) read scientific literature, reason about geometry, and create de novo RNA designs for one of the grand challenges of biochemistry: the RNA World Hypothesis?
Been having a blast testing the Rosalind Workbench for this with @eternagame new Replicase design challenge: eternagame.org/labs/14660266
For this problem, there's rich literature, reasonably high accuracy 3D structures of relevant molecules, and interesting ideas on how to design an RNA that can both copy itself and other RNAs (kickstart evolution/life itself). Its likely that all these papers are already in GTP's training data but Eterna also provides all participants a 'care package' of key scientific resources.
Designs will be prospectively tested in the wet-lab -- this is not a benchmark. No one knows the answers and no one knows what makes a good design. GPT Sol 5.6 Ultra in Rosalind will be directly benchmarked vs. expert human RNA designers and other AI design teams around the world. Any one can enter.
I'm cautiously optimistic to find out what happens!
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We made the cover of Science! Congratulations to all the players and researchers who worked so hard on the OpenKnot project the last two years.
On the citizen science platform Eterna, #AI methods matched expert human players at inventing sequences that fold into an RNA pseudoknot, a structure in which loops pair with distant parts of the same molecule.
This opens a route to automatically designing RNA therapeutics, sensors, and catalysts from scratch.
Learn more this week in Science: scim.ag/4wPnPwM
ALT Each diagram is a designed RNA pseudoknot, a structure in which loops pair with distant parts of the same molecule. On the citizen science platform Eterna, artificial intelligence methods matched expert human players at inventing sequences that fold into these shapes, opening a route to automatically designing RNA therapeutics, sensors, and catalysts from scratch. Image: J. Townley et al., Science 393 , 931 (2026); Adapted by N. Jessup/Science
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Our Replicase pilot results found that the catalytic activity and copyability of the 71-89 polymerase ribozyme can be improved! We have launched a new puzzle for finding a version that excels at both properties simultaneously. Comp methods are encouraged to submit designs!
ALT Puzzle interface displaying both the secondary and tertiary structure of the ribozyme
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The puzzle is available at eternagame.org/labs/14660266. Interested computational methods please send a DM. Puzzle closes August 30.
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Major props @DidiKieran @jgkoob @lemerleau @IIMCB_Poland @FrankRHutter @AF_Panescu @chaitjo @rishabh16_ for generating 600,000 sequences to fold into 1000 synthetic pseudoknots! The wet lab results will help these researchers improve their computational methods for RNA design.
OpenKnot Round 9 features secondary structures designed by players to create compact, pseudoknotted RNA using 240 bases. GenAI teams also will test whether their methods perform as well as the expert players at a longer length.
Check out the puzzle at: eternagame.org/labs/14343053
ALT Screenshot of Eterna puzzle interface
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OpenKnot Round 9 features secondary structures designed by players to create compact, pseudoknotted RNA using 240 bases. GenAI teams also will test whether their methods perform as well as the expert players at a longer length.
Check out the puzzle at: eternagame.org/labs/14343053
ALT Screenshot of Eterna puzzle interface
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Eternacon 12 will be Sunday, July 26, 9am to 2pm PT featuring talks on player pseudoknot design techniques, the Montparnasse algorithm solving the Eterna100, an RNA scaffold for cryo-EM, and results for our pilot Replicase puzzle.
Free to register at eternagame.org/eternacon/202…
ALT Logo for eternacon 12
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Eterna's newest puzzle challenges players to design 240-base RNA strands that will fold into compact pseudoknots. The puzzle provides a metric for counting the number of pairs that cross to form large, synthetic pseudoknots.
Check out the puzzle at eternagame.org/labs/14333719
ALT ZG_25 by Father_Z
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First AI-generated RNA with novel atomically ordered 3D fold! With @eternagame @StanfordBiochem @chaitjo @PossuHuangLab @UWproteindesign @ShujunHe0717 @navtejtoor @HHMIJanelia on bioRxiv doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.21.…
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Eterna retweeted
This week, learn about the crowdsource RNA design platform, Eterna, and Anthony Stohr's switch work. In the future, how could Eterna be used to tackle to 3D RNA structure problem?
Meeting ID: 934 4593 5624
Passcode: 802843
Mailing list: groups.google.com/g/casp-rna…
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A new 3-state Replicase challenge has been launched on Eterna and will only be open for two weeks before sequences are collected for experimental testing at @RDasLab. Will Eterna players be able to improve the catalytic activity of the RNA polymerase?
eternagame.org/labs/14183416
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Eterna retweeted
We got single RNAs to compute functions like all logic gates, A>B, and A*B/C^2, relevant for tuberculosis detection! Now looking for partners to scale to complex applications. Awesome collaboration with
@WJGreenleaf @purveshkhatri @eternagame at doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-0…
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In addition to the RibonanzaNet server hosted by @RDasLab, RNA structure fans can try the new pseudoknotted prediction model in Eterna's RNet Study collection. The 108 puzzles are a mix of experimentally-validated structures and synthetic fabrications.
eternagame.org/collections/1…
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Eterna retweeted
Celebrate World RNA Day on August 1 with Eterna
In the latest Education Corner, learn about Eterna, an online game which models the base pairing and secondary structure of RNA sequences
cdn.rcsb.org/rcsb-pdb/genera…
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Coming up this weekend, Eternacon will feature online presentations about fellow #citsci platform @the_zooniverse and how participants of both Zooniverse and Eterna have created machine learning tools for projects. @NOIRLabAstro
Register for free at eternagame.org/eternacon/202…
ALT Blue image of ROOL nanocage with Eternacon date as July 26 and 27
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Eterna's team is excited to announce the launch of Frameshifter, a new nonprofit program established to steward Eterna's future and advance public engagement in scientific research through games, collective and hybrid intelligence, and human centered design.
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Frameshifter is a fiscally sponsored project of the 501c3 @sprblm_. Learn more about Frameshifter at frameshifter.org
Our team has discussed this step for some time, and initially shared our plan to start a new organization with our community a few months ago.
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We're excited to move forward with this next step in Eterna's governance. Same core staff and a renewed focus on sustaining and growing Eterna.
Hear directly from Eterna lead developer and Frameshifter director @luxaritas at Eternacon this weekend: eternagame.org/eternacon/202…
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