Proteins are vital parts of all living organisms and perform essential tasks in our bodies. They build and repair tissues, supply components of the immune and hormone systems, regulate metabolism, and transmit signals. Researchers in Berlin and Heidelberg have now developed an intelligent neural network that can predict the functions of proteins in the human body. The team used a "trick" to observe how the network makes it predictions. The insights gained from this research could help in the search for new targeted drugs.