Algo attempt

[Sjors]

62.4% 62.7%

I'll see if I can do better.

[Sjors]

There's clearly more going on than just optimising each codon independently.

Let's look at Alanine, which occurs 79 times. My current algorithm always uses GCC, which works out most of the time.

The only time my algorithm doesn't use GCC is when the virus already used the equally optimal GCG. The vaccine does not make that exception, see the last two rows. Overall this heuristic performs (slightly) better, perhaps a coincidence.

But more interesting are the other rows where the vaccine sometimes doesn't make a substitutions, and other times makes a different substitution than one might expect. Sometimes it swaps a T for an A, other times an A for a T.

Perhaps (efficient) RNA folding also plays a role?

https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/11/27/het-virus-tref-je-het-hardst-in-zijn-rna-a4021689