포항공대신문

AI-Designed Quasisymmetric Protein Nanocages: Enabling New Paths to Molecular Design
AI-Designed Quasisymmetric Protein Nanocages: Enabling New Paths to Molecular Design
Professor Sang-min LEE of the Department of Chemical Engineering at POSTECH has successfully designed one-component quasisymmetric protein nanocages using AI. Through joint research with Prof. David BAKER of the University of Washington, the team uncovered a design principle by which a single protein self-assembles into structures featuring both pentagonal and hexagonal arrangements. The findings were published in Nature.Protein nanocages are hol...
Ending Seven Years of Legislative Inaction: Korea Launches Mifegyne, Used for Pregnancy Termination
Ending Seven Years of Legislative Inaction: Korea Launches Mifegyne, Used for Pregnancy Termination
On Sept. 16, the government of South Korea officially announced its plan to introduce Mifegyne, an oral medication used for early pregnancy termination. HAN Seong-suk, the prime minister of South Korea, presided over a policy coordination meeting at the Government Complex Seoul and declared the government’s policy to “gradually introduce abortion medication for pregnancies of nine weeks or less.” According to the phased roadmap presented by the g...
Bringing POSTECH’s 40th Anniversary into Everyday Lives
Bringing POSTECH’s 40th Anniversary into Everyday Lives
POSTECH marks its 40th anniversary this year. The university is carrying out various projects to celebrate the occasion and look back on its history. Rather than making the anniversary a one-time event, POSTECH has found ways to bring it into daily life.One of these projects is a PONIX brand emoji for everyday use on KakaoTalk. “Baby Ponix’s Punny Life” features POSTECH’s official mascot, PONIX. The Mueunjae Student Council proposed the project. ...
Repair in Progress: Rebuilding the 78 Stairs
Repair in Progress: Rebuilding the 78 Stairs
For Postechians, there are many important facilities on campus. However, if there is one facility that stands out above all others, it would undoubtedly be the 78 Stairs. The reason for the 78 Stairs’ importance is quite simple: it serves as a bridge between the dormitories and lecture buildings. The importance becomes more prominent during the morning rush, when every second and minute counts. However, if you head toward the 78 Stairs now, you w...
Gene Editing: Ending Disease or Coding Inequality?
Gene Editing: Ending Disease or Coding Inequality?
The Postech Times sought the opinions of Professor EunJeong MA (BME) and Prof. Sungchul KIM (LIFE) on the medical potential of human gene editing, the appropriate scope, and ethical issues of its use.Before Editing Genes: Questions Beyond ScienceFor technologies such as gene editing, with profound social and clinical impact, we must consider the broader sociostructural values and implications. Historically, many technologies that emerged as medic...
A Fresh Foreign Lens on POSTECH
A Fresh Foreign Lens on POSTECH
My first month at POSTECH can be measured in countless GS25 visits, dozens of awkwardly pronounced Korean phrases, and hours spent keeping up with the locals’ study rhythm. Leaving home at 18 and moving to a completely new country to study as part of POSTECH’s first international undergraduate cohort was absolutely bold of me. Yet in this short amount of time, I have experienced so many things that have changed how I view my surroundings and even...
Is Objectivity Worth Sacrificing Quality?
Is Objectivity Worth Sacrificing Quality?
We have been told that we should foster our creativity and originality, that we should be able to think outside the box, that we should value the process more than the result. However, does an exam consisting almost entirely of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) help us build the qualities we are told to possess? I doubt it. It asks us to choose one of the given answers, ignores the logical steps, and assesses us solely on the final answer. I belie...
The Human Cost of AI Data Labeling
The Human Cost of AI Data Labeling
Have you ever generated an image using Large Language Models (LLMs), such as Gemini or ChatGPT? They produce new images and documents in the blink of an eye, when it would have taken several hours and specialized abilities if it were for us to make those. Therefore, many assume that the data learning and collecting process are automatized, unable to see the human labor that lies behind them. But that is not the case. Browsing the Internet, you mi...
35-Year-Old RSA Puzzle Solved, Followed by Bigger Record
35-Year-Old RSA Puzzle Solved, Followed by Bigger Record
Two record-breaking RSA numbers were factored within 16 days using AI coding agents (Devin and Claude) that ran GPU-based number field sieve software.Both numbers are far smaller than the RSA-2048 st
Within the month of September, two record-setting Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) factorizations were announced back to back, both accomplished with the help of AI coding agents. Cognition researcher Eric LU used the company’s Devin agents to factor RSA-260 on Sept. 3. 16 days later, Stephen A. WEIS, a security engineer at Anthropic, used Claude to factor the larger RSA-896. For anyone who trusts encryption to protect their private information, the p...
The Endless Battle Against Ticket Scalping
The Endless Battle Against Ticket Scalping
Ticket scalping has long been a problem in the entertainment industry, but the issue became particularly apparent following the 2026 release of The Odyssey. As demand for screenings at Seoul’s Yongsan IMAX theater surged, tickets appeared on online resale platforms for prices several times higher than their original value. However, the problem extends far beyond a single movie. Concerts and sporting events have also struggled with ticket scalping...
Tesla’s Ground Break in Korean Car Market
Tesla’s Ground Break in Korean Car Market
Korea has a highly competitive automobile market where domestic and foreign manufacturers compete for consumers. Among them, domestic brands such as Hyundai and Kia have been the most popular choices for Korean customers because of their affordable prices and accessible service networks. Therefore, the title of Korea’s best-selling car has traditionally belonged to domestic carmakers. However, in May, Tesla Model Y became the first foreign vehicl...
Postechian's Pick: If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light (2026)
Postechian's Pick: If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light (2026)
You’re probably familiar with the novel If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by KIM Cho-yeop. However, the work I’d like to introduce today is a science fiction play of the same name, based on the novel, performed at the Pohang Culture & Arts Center on Sept. 11 and 12.The play and novel essentially share the same approach: the implicit “promise” made to the audience and the reader. It is the promise that this space is not the Main Auditorium of ...