Phage Explorer
Learning and science
interactive biology education
SHOW HN2026
127points
35comments
#515of 4,366 in 2026
Top 12%of 2026 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
3 positive, 1 neutral or asking, 4 mixed, 5 critical, out of 13 comments about the project. Thread score -0.07.
Execution: 0 for, 3 againstIdea: 3 for, 0 againstDesign: 0 for, 1 againstDocs: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Good premise and interesting educational goal
From 3 comments
The premise behind this vibe-coded website is excellent. It would have been great if a bit more effort had been invested in the visualization side and, if instead of using…
gtsnexp on HNVery good idea and very interesting. Great use of AI. The next step in this project, if you were funded, would be to have human experts double check the accuracy of the…
wefzyn on HNI really resonate with your goal of creating a more intuitive tool than a boring textbook. Being able to visually see how complex genetic code translates into physical geometry…
bboydart91 on HN
Interface looks nice
From 2 comments
It's rather nice looking, but it would have been so much nicer if you'd done it yourself.
noduerme on HNIt looks nice but very "LLMsy". I liked that it specifically annotates "Lytic" vs "Lysogenic" categorization for phages. Important in terms of virome analysis.…
kasperset on HN
Objections
Scientific inaccuracies in diagrams and genetic representations
From 3 comments
This is so riddled with inaccuracies that I can spot them immediately despite not being a phage biologist. For example, the PhiX image has a DNA with about 20 base pairs - wildly…
jryb on HNSorry, but I really wouldn't trust a website that uses Gemini's image models for generating scientific diagrams. The website itself is also vibe-coded. That's not an issue by…
Tiberium on HNIt looks nice but very "LLMsy". I liked that it specifically annotates "Lytic" vs "Lysogenic" categorization for phages. Important in terms of virome analysis.…
kasperset on HN
AI-generated images unsuitable for scientific content
From 2 comments
Sorry, but I really wouldn't trust a website that uses Gemini's image models for generating scientific diagrams. The website itself is also vibe-coded. That's not an issue by…
Tiberium on HNThe premise behind this vibe-coded website is excellent. It would have been great if a bit more effort had been invested in the visualization side and, if instead of using…
gtsnexp on HN
Generic vibe-coded LLM look and layout issues
From 3 comments
Sorry, but I really wouldn't trust a website that uses Gemini's image models for generating scientific diagrams. The website itself is also vibe-coded. That's not an issue by…
Tiberium on HNIt looks nice but very "LLMsy". I liked that it specifically annotates "Lytic" vs "Lysogenic" categorization for phages. Important in terms of virome analysis.…
kasperset on HNAI really loves that purple-blue style with rounded corners. I asked chatGPT to make a few sites to see how it worked and any time I said "make the site look nicer", it did that.…
makerofthings on HN
Unclear UI behaviour and needs polish
From 1 comment
some quick feedback on the user interface: - i pressed "Amino Acids", and nothing updated below the toolbar. can't figure out what it does - the "Tools" buttons looks like a…
jadengeller on HN
Debate over whether AI-built work counts as made by the maker
From 3 comments
It's rather nice looking, but it would have been so much nicer if you'd done it yourself.
noduerme on HNIf he paid the same amount of money to an offshore worker to build it, would you say he'd done it himself?
noduerme on HNThis is ridiculous. If you are capable of editing the libraries when necessary, and you don't ask someone else to do it for you, then yes. If you can't do it yourself and need to…
noduerme on HN
Requests
Have domain experts verify accuracy
From 2 comments
Very good idea and very interesting. Great use of AI. The next step in this project, if you were funded, would be to have human experts double check the accuracy of the…
wefzyn on HNAt least put a big warning in your introduction box that highlights that those data might be invalid because you are not an expert in this topic. Let the use acknowledge this…
codingminds on HN
Use scientifically accurate images from papers or repositories
From 1 comment
The premise behind this vibe-coded website is excellent. It would have been great if a bit more effort had been invested in the visualization side and, if instead of using…
gtsnexp on HN
Add warning that data may be invalid
From 1 comment
At least put a big warning in your introduction box that highlights that those data might be invalid because you are not an expert in this topic. Let the use acknowledge this…
codingminds on HN
Add annotations and domain labels to structures
From 1 comment
This is so riddled with inaccuracies that I can spot them immediately despite not being a phage biologist. For example, the PhiX image has a DNA with about 20 base pairs - wildly…
jryb on HN
Questions
How many tokens or how much AI was used to build it
From 2 comments
What used to be a life time project that would inspire awe and respect and make OP an instant hire for most managers is now a fun 1-week stunt that makes you go “cool, how many…
jurgenaut23 on HN>> what I ended up with has taken a sickening number of tokens to generate I was a bit confused by this as to whether it related only to the graphics or to the UI as well.
noduerme on HN
Alternatives named
Existing biology tools and annotated bioinformatics software
From 1 comment
This is so riddled with inaccuracies that I can spot them immediately despite not being a phage biologist. For example, the PhiX image has a DNA with about 20 base pairs - wildly…
jryb on HN
Textbooks and structured courses
From 2 comments
This is so riddled with inaccuracies that I can spot them immediately despite not being a phage biologist. For example, the PhiX image has a DNA with about 20 base pairs - wildly…
jryb on HNSure, but there apparently wasn't enough of a dialog either. With a textbook, you're confronted with facts and explanations that you didn't ask about, or even knew to ask about.…
jryb on HN