yachtsman job meaning

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Definition of yachtsman

Examples of yachtsman in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yachtsman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1862, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near yachtsman

Cite this entry.

“Yachtsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yachtsman. Accessed 16 Mar. 2024.

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Kids definition of yachtsman, more from merriam-webster on yachtsman.

Britannica English: Translation of yachtsman for Arabic Speakers

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Meaning of yachtsman in English

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• crew member
• longshoreman
• run away to sea idiom

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Examples of yachtsman

Translations of yachtsman.

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think/ speak highly of someone

to admire or say admiring things about someone

Renowned and celebrated (Words meaning ‘famous’)

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Yachtsman Career

*A job as a Yachtsman falls under the broader career category of Sailors and Marine Oilers. The information on this page will generally apply to all careers in this category but may not specifically apply to this career title. Job Description for Sailors and Marine Oilers : Stand watch to look for obstructions in path of vessel, measure water depth, turn wheel on bridge, or use emergency equipment as directed by captain, mate, or pilot. Break out, rig, overhaul, and store cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, and running gear. Perform a variety of maintenance tasks to preserve the painted surface of the ship and to maintain line and ship equipment. Must hold government-issued certification and tankerman certification when working aboard liquid-carrying vessels. Includes able seamen and ordinary seamen.

Is Sailors and Marine Oiler the right career path for you? Take the MyMajors Quiz and find out if it fits one of your top recommended majors!

Sailors and Marine Oiler Career

What sailors and marine oilers do:.

• Sweep, mop, and wash down decks to remove oil, dirt, and debris, using brooms, mops, brushes, and hoses.
• Splice and repair ropes, wire cables, or cordage, using marlinespikes, wire cutters, twine, and hand tools.
• Paint or varnish decks, superstructures, lifeboats, or sides of ships.
• Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
• Chip and clean rust spots on decks, superstructures, or sides of ships, using wire brushes and hand or air chipping machines.
• Break out, rig, and stow cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, or running gear.
• Maintain government-issued certifications, as required.
• Give directions to crew members engaged in cleaning wheelhouses or quarterdecks.
• Examine machinery to verify specified pressures or lubricant flows.
• Clean and polish wood trim, brass, or other metal parts.
• Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs.
• Lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings.
• Provide engineers with assistance in repairing or adjusting machinery.
• Load or unload materials, vehicles, or passengers from vessels.
• Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks.
• Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses.
• Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached.
• Maintain a ship's engines under the direction of the ship's engineering officers.
• Lower and man lifeboats when emergencies occur.
• Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.
• Overhaul lifeboats or lifeboat gear and lower or raise lifeboats with winches or falls.
• Measure depth of water in shallow or unfamiliar waters, using leadlines, and telephone or shout depth information to vessel bridges.
• Stand gangway watches to prevent unauthorized persons from boarding ships while in port.
• Steer ships under the direction of commanders or navigating officers or direct helmsmen to steer, following designated courses.
• Stand by wheels when ships are on automatic pilot, and verify accuracy of courses, using magnetic compasses.
• Record data in ships' logs, such as weather conditions or distances traveled.
• Relay specified signals to other ships, using visual signaling devices, such as blinker lights or semaphores.
• Participate in shore patrols.

What work activities are most important?

Holland code chart for a sailors and marine oiler.

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a person who owns or sails a yacht , or who is devoted to yachting .

Origin of yachtsman

Usage note for yachtsman, other words from yachtsman.

• yachts·man·ship, yacht·man·ship, noun

Words Nearby yachtsman

• yacht chair
• yachtswoman
• yackety-yak
• yada-yada-yada

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use yachtsman in a sentence

Following an arrest for a DUI, assault and disorderly conduct in Colorado in 1974, she hitchhiked to Florida, where she married Lewis Gratz Fell, a wealthy yachtsman 50 years her senior in 1976.

One of the things which make a yachtsman ask if life is worth living is to run hard on the putty.

If the yachtsman has on board a seine net, he may realise something of the miraculous draught of fishes mentioned in the Bible.

The man had an air of easy assurance; and, besides, the request was one that any yachtsman would willingly grant.

Mr. Ford was an experienced yachtsman ; would he look after the ladies, ask whom he liked?

No landsman, no amateur yachtsman , could write a book like this.

British Dictionary definitions for yachtsman

Feminine yachtswoman.

/ ( ˈjɒtsmən ) /

a person who sails a yacht or yachts

Derived forms of yachtsman

• yachtsmanship , noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Definition of yachtsman noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• a round-the-world yachtsman

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Nearby words

Definition of 'yachtsman'

yachtsman in American English

Yachtsman in british english, examples of 'yachtsman' in a sentence yachtsman, trends of yachtsman.

View usage over: Since Exist Last 10 years Last 50 years Last 100 years Last 300 years

In other languages yachtsman

• American English : yachtsman / yˈɒtsmən /
• Brazilian Portuguese : iatista
• Chinese : 帆船手
• European Spanish : aficionado a la vela
• French : navigateur
• German : Segler
• Italian : yachtsman
• Japanese : ヨット乗り
• Korean : 요트 타는 사람
• European Portuguese : proprietário ou timoneiro de um iate
• Spanish : aficionado a la vela

Browse alphabetically yachtsman

• yachting fraternity
• yachting regatta
• yachting trip
• yachtswoman
• yachtswomen
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yachtsman noun

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What does the noun yachtsman mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun yachtsman . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun yachtsman ?

How is the noun yachtsman pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun yachtsman come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun yachtsman is in the 1860s.

OED's earliest evidence for yachtsman is from 1862, in London Review & Weekly Journal .

yachtsman is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: yacht n. , man n. 1

Nearby entries

• yachtdom, n. 1901–
• yachter, n. 1828–
• yachtery, n. 1861–
• yachtian, n. 1842–
• yachtie, n. 1874–
• yachting, n. 1836–
• yachting, adj. 1847–
• yachtist, n. 1895–
• yachtling, n. 1872–
• yachtman, n. 1820–
• yachtsman, n. 1862–
• yachtsmanship, n. 1862–
• yachty, adj. 1950–
• yachty, adj. 1892–
• yacht-yard, n. 1933–
• yack, n.¹ 1789–
• yack, n.² 1860–
• yack, v. 1873–
• yacker, n. 1882–
• yacker, v. 1961–
• yacket, v. 1969–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for yachtsman, n..

yachtsman, n. was first published in 1921; not yet revised

yachtsman, n. was last modified in July 2023

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into yachtsman, n. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of yachtsman, n. were published in:

OED First Edition (1921)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

• View yachtsman, n. in Second Edition

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Citation details

Factsheet for yachtsman, n., browse entry.

• 1.1 Alternative forms
• 1.2 Etymology
• 1.3 Pronunciation
• 1.4.1 Hypernyms
• 1.4.2 Derived terms
• 1.4.3 Related terms
• 1.4.4 Translations
• 2.1 Alternative forms
• 2.2 Etymology
• 2.3 Pronunciation
• 2.5 Further reading
• 2.6 Anagrams

English [ edit ]

Alternative forms [ edit ].

• yachtman ( dated )

Etymology [ edit ]

From yacht +‎ -s- +‎ -man .

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ].

yachtsman ( plural yachtsmen )

• 1840 , William Makepeace Thackeray , The Irish Sketch Book published together with The Paris Sketch Book of Mr. M. A. Titmarsh and Notes of a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo , New York: Caxton, Chapter 10, p. 379, [1] [ … ] and so ended, not without a sigh on my part, one of the merriest six-hour rides that five yachtsmen , one cockney, five women and a child, the carman, and a countryman with an alpeen, ever took in their lives.
• 1913 , Joseph Conrad , Chance ‎ [2] , London: Methuen, published 1914 , Part 1, Chapter One, p. 3: We knew him already by sight as the owner of a little five-ton cutter, which he sailed alone apparently, a fellow yachtsman in the unpretending band of fanatics who cruise at the mouth of the Thames. But the first time he addressed the waiter sharply as ‘steward’ we knew him at once for a sailor as well as a yachtsman .
• 1963 , Aldous Huxley , chapter 1, in Island ‎ [3] , New York: Bantam, page 6: [ … ] needless to say, the thing that all the cautious and experienced yachtsmen had warned him against happened. The black squall out of nowhere, the sudden, senseless frenzy of wind and rain and waves…

Hypernyms [ edit ]

• yachtsperson

Derived terms [ edit ]

• yachtsmanlike
• yachtsmanship

Related terms [ edit ]

• yachtswoman

Translations [ edit ]

French [ edit ].

Borrowed from English yachtsman .

• IPA ( key ) : /jɔts.man/

yachtsman   m ( plural yachtsmans or yachtsmen , feminine yachtswoman )

Further reading [ edit ]

• “ yachtsman ”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [ Digitized Treasury of the French Language ] , 2012.

Anagrams [ edit ]

• English terms interfixed with -s-
• English terms suffixed with -man
• English terms with audio links
• English lemmas
• English nouns
• English countable nouns
• English nouns with irregular plurals
• English terms with quotations
• English male equivalent nouns
• en:Nautical
• French terms borrowed from English
• French terms derived from English
• French 2-syllable words
• French terms with IPA pronunciation
• French lemmas
• French nouns
• French countable nouns
• French masculine nouns
• English entries with topic categories using raw markup
• English entries with language name categories using raw markup
• Quotation templates to be cleaned

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Superyacht Training

How To Get a Job as a Deckhand | Superyacht Crew

So what is being a deckhand all about.

We have broken down the steps to help you find your first deck job in the super yacht industry.

Being comfortable on the water will definitely be an advantage, but it is not a prerequisite. Experience driving tenders or small watercrafts would be a transferable skill that will definitely stand you in good stead and should be listed clearly on your yachting CV.

It would be advisable to look for a junior deckhand position as your first yacht job. Form there you can process to Lead Deckhand or Bosun and eventually onto Mate or Chief Officer.

Check out our list of skills that will help you stand out when applying for your first job as a deckhand

Experience driving tenders or small water crafts

Some common rope knots

Able to swim

Water sports experience like kiteboarding, wake boarding, jets- it’s a bonus if you are an instructor

Scuba diving – a rescue diver or dive master is a huge bonus

Basic hospitality- being comfortable engaging with guests and crew onboard

Additional skills include: any trade like plumbing, carpentry, electrician, woodwork, IT etc. Living on the water means there is always maintenance to be done

Creating a Deckhand Yacht CV

It is important in the yachting industry that you tailor your CV for the specific position you are looking for. Be sure to include any additional water sports or trade skills as this will help you star out from the crowd. Any relevant yachting experience should be included in a section clearly defined, and separate from any land based experience.

Visit our Agency detailed explanation on how to prepare your cv. You can also check out our FREE CV template.

Finding Daywork as a Deckhand

What is daywork you ask? Think of it as one-day yachting internships to gain real world experience on yachts while getting paid a great day rate.

Be open to any kind of yacht daywork, as long as it gets your foot in the door with what you want to do. Learn how to do basic deck chores like exterior detailing, stainless polishing, bilge painting, and teak maintenance like a pro.

If you want to take a look at our Deckhand courses , that page should tell you all you need to know.

If you have more questions or comments be sure to get in touch .

We look forward to getting you onboard.

Needing more?

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RYA/MCA Online

1. what are the basic requirements you need to be eligible to work in the yachting industry, 2. what is the stcw and why do i need it, 3. what is the eng1 medical certificate, 4. what land based experience will help me find a super yacht job, 5. what are the different departments onboard, 6. what crew training is required for me to work as a junior deckhand.

• Yachtmaster/Coastal Skipper Theory
• Yachtmaster/Coastal Practical
• Specialist Super Yacht Training Course (Deck Hand Training Course)
• RYA Power Boat Level II
• RYA Personal Watercraft Course
• RYA Competent Crew Certificate
• RYA Day Skipper Theory and Practical Certificates
• VHF Radio Operator’s License

7. What crew training is required for me to work as a junior stewardess?

• Stewardess Course
• Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD)
• MCA Food Safety Level 2
• RYA Powerboat Level 2

8. How do I book my training courses?

9. how do i get my first job on a yacht, 10. are these courses worth it, or am i just wasting my money, 11. will i get hired for my first job from south africa, 12. what is daywork, 13. what are the best locations to get a yacht job, 14. how much can a motor yacht stewardess or deckhand earn, 15. what are the negatives of working on a yacht, 16. what are the positives of working on a yacht, 17. is working on a super yacht for everyone, 18. what is the minimum age to work on a yacht, 19. is accommodation provided when i am completing my yacht training in cape town.

Superyachts , Yacht Jobs

4 questions to ask yourself before starting a yachting career.

• May 8, 2023

For those passionate about the water, a career in the boating industry may be the perfect fit. From commercial fishing to yacht chartering, many different jobs involve being on the water. One career path that has become increasingly popular in recent years is working on a yacht. Yachts are luxurious vessels used for personal or commercial use, requiring a crew to help operate and maintain them. 

Working on a yacht can be an exciting and rewarding career choice for those who love the water and enjoy working with people. A yachter’s job is to help operate and maintain a yacht. This can include cleaning, cooking, serving food and drinks, navigation, and safety procedures. Yacht crew members work long hours and are often required to be on call 24/7, so they must be adaptable and able to work well under pressure. Moreover, yacht crew members can work on various yachts, including mega yachts (over 100 feet), super yachts (over 200 feet), and even sailing yachts. The size and type of yacht will determine the number of crew members needed and their specific roles. However, a yachting career is still a job, meaning it’s not for everyone and requires hard work and dedication.

Before beginning a career in yachting, you must ask the following questions:

#1 – Can You Work in a Fast-Paced Environment

Working on a yacht can be a fast-paced and demanding job. As a yachting crew member, you will ensure the yacht’s safety and its passengers, maintain its appearance, and provide excellent service. This means that you must be able to work efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced environment.

To succeed in a yachting career, you must have excellent time management skills and the ability to work well under pressure. You may be required to work long hours, and you must be able to stay focused and alert throughout your shift. You must also be able to handle unexpected situations and think on your feet to solve problems quickly.

#2 – Are You Willing to Take Directions from Others?

Everyone in every industry starts small, and yachting is no exception. As a new crew member, you must be willing to take directions from others, including the captain, the chef, and more experienced crew members. It’s important to remember that everyone on board has a specific role to play, and it’s essential to work as a team to ensure the yacht’s smooth operation.

Being able to take directions from others also means being open to learning new skills and techniques. Even if you have experience in a similar industry, yachting has unique challenges and requirements. In short, you must embrace the opportunity to learn from others and grow as a yachting crew member.

#3 – Can You Learn the Skill Necessary When Out at Sea?

Learning new skills is crucial to any job but especially important in the yachting industry. When out at sea, crew members may need to perform tasks they haven’t encountered before. It’s essential to be adaptable and willing to learn quickly to ensure the safety of everyone on board. You may need to learn navigation, emergency procedures, and maintenance tasks. Understanding and applying these skills effectively can make a significant difference in the success of a voyage.

It’s also worth noting that the yachting industry is constantly evolving, with new technologies and practices always emerging. As such, being open to ongoing learning and professional development is crucial. This way, you can continue to improve your skills and stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends.

#4 – Can You Live In Cramped Conditions?

Living in cramped conditions is a reality for many yacht crew members. Yachts are designed to maximize space, but only so much room is available on board—most of which is allocated to the passengers. Crew members often have to share cabins and bathrooms, which can be challenging, so being adaptable and comfortable living in close quarters with others is essential.

It’s also worth noting that yacht crew members often work long hours, finding personal space and downtime challenging. However, many crew members discover that the close-knit community on board incredibly rewarding because building strong relationships with fellow crew members can help make the living conditions more comfortable and enjoyable.

#5 – Do You Get Seasick Easily?

Yacht crew members spend most of their time on the water, so it’s crucial to consider whether you get seasick easily. Seasickness can be a significant issue for those who haven’t spent much time on boats, but it can be managed with medication and other remedies.

If you’re prone to seasickness, you must be honest with yourself and potential employers about your condition. Many yachts have experienced crew members who can offer advice and support to those affected by seasickness. Consequently, you must be proactive and take preventative measures, such as staying hydrated, eating light meals, and avoiding alcohol and caffeine.

#6 – Are You Fine with Living Far from Home?

Above all else, yacht crew members must have a sense of adventure and be willing to live far from home. Yachting involves a lot of travel, and crew members may be away from their families and friends for extended periods. Depending on the itinerary, you may spend weeks or months away from home.

A career in yachting can be an exciting and rewarding choice for those who love the water and enjoy working with people. However, it’s not for everyone, so you must carefully consider the demands and lifestyle before committing. If you do, you can look forward to a career that offers unique experiences, opportunities for personal and professional growth, and a chance to travel the world.

If you’re looking for yacht crew jobs , Yachtie Careers can help you! We connect prospective candidates to companies looking for qualified yachting candidates, whether deckhands or stewardesses. Call us today at + 46 735895888 to sign up!

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Letters to the Editor: Automate everything? Driverless taxis mean more jobs taken from humans

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To the editor: Corporate greed continues its relentless campaign to automate more and more services in which people were formerly employed, and at which they were able to earn a living. (“ Waymo to launch robotaxi service in Los Angeles, but no freeway driving — for now ,” March 13)

In 1950, elevators began to be automated. In the 1960s, robotics started taking over certain functions on automotive assembly lines. Today, many grocery stores and pharmacy chains have installed self-checkout counters.

And now, we’re supposed to climb into a driverless vehicle to travel from one location to another.

This march toward mechanization will continue to eliminate more and more jobs previously performed by human beings. The inevitable result is what we’re experiencing: people who cannot afford to live anywhere other than on the streets.

Marcia Goodman, Long Beach

To the editor: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 43,000 people were killed in U.S. traffic collisions in 2021, and about half of those deaths were due to either speeding or driving under the influence.

Thus, rolling out driverless cars should result in a reduction of traffic related deaths simply by eliminating those causes.

However, as the your article indicates, road rage by motorists against the driverless vehicles needs to be addressed with laws punishing this sort of behavior.

Jim Winterroth, Torrance

To the editor: Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has lost its way? CPUC approval of driverless vehicles in the face of public safety issues is simply startling.

In San Francisco, police and fire officials have documented numerous cases of these vehicles blocking traffic and impeding emergency vehicles while objecting to the expansion of driverless vehicles. The CPUC seems to give no consideration to the concerns of local elected officials.

Additionally, at a time when climate change poses an existential threat, the CPUC undermined a popular and effective residential solar energy program leading to sharp reductions in residential solar panel installation. What gives?

Jeff Prang, Los Angeles

The writer is the elected assessor of Los Angeles County.

To the editor: Automated cars without drivers seem extremely dangerous in an area with millions of drivers and swift speeds. But just as when Uber and Lyft started operating, this will take more jobs away from taxi drivers.

Many of these drivers are immigrants who depend on their jobs to feed and house their families and send their children to college. I know this because I use only a taxi company whose drivers are mostly first-generation citizens. I have used it for some 30 years, and no automated taxi could ever be better.

Why take away this business and the jobs it offers? This is more than dangerous; it’s cruel.

Lynne Shapiro, Marina del Rey

To the editor: Your article quotes someone who asks, “Why is it such a big deal to get human drivers out of their seats?”

Considering 40,000-plus people die in car crashes every year in U.S., the vast majority of which are caused by human error, the answer is obvious.

Nick Hooper, Los Angeles

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March 8, 2024

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March 3, 2024

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A.I. Is Learning What It Means to Be Alive

Given troves of data about genes and cells, A.I. models have made some surprising discoveries. What could they teach us someday?

Credit... Doug Chayka

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By Carl Zimmer

• Published March 10, 2024 Updated March 12, 2024

In 1889, a French doctor named Francois-Gilbert Viault climbed down from a mountain in the Andes, drew blood from his arm and inspected it under a microscope. Dr. Viault’s red blood cells, which ferry oxygen, had surged 42 percent. He had discovered a mysterious power of the human body: When it needs more of these crucial cells, it can make them on demand.

In the early 1900s, scientists theorized that a hormone was the cause. They called the theoretical hormone erythropoietin, or “red maker” in Greek. Seven decades later, researchers found actual erythropoietin after filtering 670 gallons of urine .

And about 50 years after that, biologists in Israel announced they had found a rare kidney cell that makes the hormone when oxygen drops too low. It’s called the Norn cell , named after the Norse deities who were believed to control human fate.

It took humans 134 years to discover Norn cells. Last summer, computers in California discovered them on their own in just six weeks.

The discovery came about when researchers at Stanford programmed the computers to teach themselves biology. The computers ran an artificial intelligence program similar to ChatGPT, the popular bot that became fluent with language after training on billions of pieces of text from the internet. But the Stanford researchers trained their computers on raw data about millions of real cells and their chemical and genetic makeup.

The researchers did not tell the computers what these measurements meant. They did not explain that different kinds of cells have different biochemical profiles. They did not define which cells catch light in our eyes, for example, or which ones make antibodies.

The computers crunched the data on their own, creating a model of all the cells based on their similarity to each other in a vast, multidimensional space. When the machines were done, they had learned an astonishing amount . They could classify a cell they had never seen before as one of over 1,000 different types. One of those was the Norn cell.

“That’s remarkable, because nobody ever told the model that a Norn cell exists in the kidney,” said Jure Leskovec, a computer scientist at Stanford who trained the computers.

The software is one of several new A.I.-powered programs, known as foundation models, that are setting their sights on the fundamentals of biology. The models are not simply tidying up the information that biologists are collecting. They are making discoveries about how genes work and how cells develop.

As the models scale up, with ever more laboratory data and computing power, scientists predict that they will start making more profound discoveries. They may reveal secrets about cancer and other diseases. They may figure out recipes for turning one kind of cell into another.

“A vital discovery about biology that otherwise would not have been made by the biologists — I think we’re going to see that at some point,” said Dr. Eric Topol, the director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.

Just how far they will go is a matter of debate. While some skeptics think the models are going to hit a wall, more optimistic scientists believe that foundation models will even tackle the biggest biological question of them all: What separates life from nonlife?

Heart Cells and Mole Rats

Biologists have long sought to understand how the different cells in our bodies use genes to do the many things we need to stay alive.

About a decade ago, researchers started industrial-scale experiments to fish out genetic bits from individual cells. They recorded what they found in catalogs, or “ cell atlases ,” that swelled with billions of pieces of data.

Dr. Christina Theodoris, a medical resident at Boston Children’s Hospital, was reading about a new kind of A.I. model made by Google engineers in 2017 for language translations. The researchers provided the model with millions of sentences in English, along with their translations into German and French. The model developed the power to translate sentences it hadn’t seen before. Dr. Theodoris wondered if a similar model could teach itself to make sense of the data in cell atlases.

In 2021, she struggled to find a lab that might let her try to build one. “There was a lot of skepticism that this approach would work at all,” she said.

Shirley Liu, a computational biologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, gave her a shot. Dr. Theodoris pulled data from 106 published human studies, which collectively included 30 million cells, and fed it all into a program she created called GeneFormer.

The model gained a deep understanding of how our genes behave in different cells. It predicted, for example, that shutting down a gene called TEAD4 in a certain type of heart cell would severely disrupt it. When her team put the prediction to the test in real cells called cardiomyocytes, the beating of the heart cells grew weaker.

In another test, she and her colleagues showed GeneFormer heart cells from people with defective heartbeat rhythms as well as from healthy people. “Then we said, Now tell us what changes we need to happen to the unhealthy cells to make them healthy,” said Dr. Theodoris, who now works as a computational biologist at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco.

GeneFormer recommended reducing the activity of four genes that had never before been linked to heart disease. Dr. Theodoris’s team followed the model’s advice, knocking down each of the four genes. In two out of the four cases, the treatment improved how the cells contracted.

The Stanford team got into the foundation-model business after helping to build one of the biggest databases of cells in the world, known as CellXGene . Beginning in August, the researchers trained their computers on the 33 million cells in the database, focusing on a type of genetic information called messenger RNA. They also fed the model the three-dimensional structures of proteins, which are the products of genes.

From this data, the model — known as Universal Cell Embedding, or U.C.E. — calculated the similarity among cells, grouping them into more than 1,000 clusters according to how they used their genes. The clusters corresponded to types of cells discovered by generations of biologists.

U.C.E. also taught itself some important things about how the cells develop from a single fertilized egg. For example, U.C.E. recognized that all the cells in the body can be grouped according to which of three layers they came from in the early embryo.

“It essentially rediscovered developmental biology,” said Stephen Quake, a biophysicist at Stanford who helped develop U.C.E.

The model was also able to transfer its knowledge to new species. Presented with the genetic profile of cells from an animal that it had never seen before — a naked mole rat, say — U.C.E. could identify many of its cell types.

“You can bring a completely new organism — chicken, frog, fish, whatever — you can put it in, and you will get something useful out,” Dr. Leskovec said.

After U.C.E. discovered the Norn cells, Dr. Leskovec and his colleagues looked in the CellXGene database to see where they had come from. While many of the cells had been taken from kidneys, some had come from lungs or other organs. It was possible, the researchers speculated, that previously unknown Norn cells were scattered across the body.

Dr. Katalin Susztak, a physician-scientist at the University of Pennsylvania who studies Norn cells, said that the finding whetted her curiosity. “I want to check these cells,” she said.

She is skeptical that the model found true Norn cells outside the kidneys, since the erythropoietin hormone hasn’t been found in other places. But the new cells may sense oxygen as Norn cells do.

In other words, U.C.E. may have discovered a new type of cell before biologists did.

An ‘Internet of Cells’

Just like ChatGPT , biological models sometimes get things wrong. Kasia Kedzierska, a computational biologist at the University of Oxford, and her colleagues recently gave GeneFormer and another foundation model , scGPT, a battery of tests . They presented the models with cell atlases they hadn’t seen before and had them perform tasks such as classifying the cells into types. The models performed well on some tasks, but in other cases they fared poorly compared with simpler computer programs.

Dr. Kedzierska said she had great hopes for the models but that, for now, “they should not be used out of the box without a proper understanding of their limitations.”

Dr. Leskovec said that the models were improving as scientists trained them on more data. But compared with ChatGPT’s training on the entire internet, the latest cell atlases offer only a modest amount of information. “I’d like an entire internet of cells,” he said.

More cells are on the way as bigger cell atlases come online. And scientists are gleaning different kinds of data from each of the cells in those atlases. Some scientists are cataloging the molecules that stick to genes, or taking photographs of cells to illuminate the precise location of their proteins. All of that information will allow foundation models to draw lessons about what makes cells work.

Scientists are also developing tools that let foundation models combine what they’re learning on their own with what flesh-and-blood biologists have already discovered. The idea would be to connect the findings in thousands of published scientific papers to the databases of cell measurements.

With enough data and computing power, scientists say, they may eventually create a complete mathematical representation of a cell.

“That’s going to be hugely revolutionary for the field of biology,” said Bo Wang, a computational biologist at the University of Toronto and the creator of scGPT. With this virtual cell, he speculated, it would be possible to predict what a real cell would do in any situation. Scientists could run entire experiments on their computers rather than in petri dishes.

Dr. Quake suspects that foundation models will learn not just about the kinds of cells that currently reside in our bodies but also about kinds of cells that could exist. He speculates that only certain combinations of biochemistry can keep a cell alive. Dr. Quake dreams of using foundation models to make a map showing the realm of the possible, beyond which life cannot exist.

“I think these models are going to help us get some really fundamental understanding of the cell, which is going to provide some insight into what life really is,” Dr. Quake said.

Having a map of what’s possible and impossible to sustain life might also mean that scientists could actually create new cells that don’t yet exist in nature. The foundation model might be able to concoct chemical recipes that transform ordinary cells into new, extraordinary ones. Those new cells might devour plaque in blood vessels or explore a diseased organ to report back on its condition.

“It’s very ‘Fantastic Voyage ’- ish,” Dr. Quake admitted. “But who knows what the future is going to hold?”

If foundation models live up to Dr. Quake’s dreams, they will also raise a number of new risks. On Friday, more than 80 biologists and A.I. experts signed a call for the technology to be regulated so that it cannot be used to create new biological weapons. Such a concern might apply to new kinds of cells produced by the models.

Privacy breaches could happen even sooner. Researchers hope to program personalized foundation models that would look at an individual’s unique genome and the particular way that it works in cells. That new dimension of knowledge could reveal how different versions of genes affect the way cells work. But it could also give the owners of a foundation model some of the most intimate knowledge imaginable about the people who donated their DNA and cells to science.

Some scientists have their doubts about how far foundational models will make it down the road to “Fantastic Voyage,” however. The models are only as good as the data they are fed. Making an important new discovery about life may depend on having data on hand that we haven’t figured out how to collect. We might not even know what data the models need.

“They might make some new discoveries of interest,” said Sara Walker, a physicist at Arizona State University who studies the physical basis of life. “But ultimately they are limited when it comes to new fundamental advances.”

Still, the performance of foundation models has already led their creators to wonder about the role of human biologists in a world where computers make important insights on their own. Traditionally, biologists have been rewarded for creative and time-consuming experiments that uncover some of the workings of life. But computers may be able to see those workings in a matter of weeks, days or even hours by scanning billions of cells for patterns we can’t see.

“It’s going to force a complete rethink of what we consider creativity,” Dr. Quake said. “Professors should be very, very nervous.”

Carl Zimmer covers news about science for The Times and writes the Origins column . More about Carl Zimmer

Explore Our Coverage of Artificial Intelligence

News  and Analysis

OpenAI said that Sam Altman, the chief executive who was chaotically ousted in November only to return to the company five days later, would regain a seat on its board of directors .

In a move aimed at addressing fears that A.I. could be used to create bioweapons, over 90 biologists and other scientists have signed an agreement  that seeks to ensure that their research will move forward without exposing the world to serious harm.

Microsoft is seeking to dismiss parts of a lawsuit  brought by The New York Times Company against the tech giant and its partner OpenAI that accused the two of copyright infringement for using its articles to train A.I. technologies.

The Age of A.I.

By interacting with data about genes and cells, A.I. models have made some surprising discoveries and are learning what it means to be alive. What could they teach us someday ?

Covariant, a robotics start-up, is using the technology behind chatbots  to build robots that learn skills much like ChatGPT does.

When Google released Gemini, a new chatbot, the company quickly faced a backlash. The episode unleashed a fierce debate  about whether A.I. should be guided by social values.

A.I.’s booming growth is radically reshaping an already red-hot data center market, raising questions about whether these sites can be operated sustainably .

Few companies better illustrate how A.I. is changing Silicon Valley deal-making than Anthropic, one of the world’s hottest A.I. start-ups .

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How did Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball fall so far?

Editor’s note: The University of Michigan announced Friday afternoon that Juwan Howard will not return as head basketball coach next season. 

Crisler Center was mostly empty the night of March 4, 2021, but Michigan basketball brought the place to life. A win over rival Michigan State secured a conference title in a season shaped by pandemic restrictions, and players danced around a confetti-covered court, hoisting a “Big Ten Champions” sign. It was an achievement of resolve, one that would result in a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for only the third time in program history.

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Stepping away from the party, Juwan Howard surveyed a building with fewer than 200 people inside. He locked eyes with Warde Manuel, the Michigan athletic director who hired him . They pointed to one another. Then Howard squinted, looking up at Section 114, finding John Beilein, the man he replaced as Michigan coach and the program’s all-time wins leader. Beilein pointed down at him; Howard tapped his chest and pointed back.

The postgame celebration felt as much about where the program was going than what it had achieved.

When Howard, then 46, was hired by his alma mater in May 2019, he had never before coached college basketball. But he returned to Ann Arbor with a quarter-century of NBA experience, infinite respect in the game, and Fab Five roots that the program had long needed to reconnect with. At his introductory news conference, Howard brushed away what he called “tears of joy” and told the gathered crowd, “My heart is with Michigan and will always be that way.”

Any concerns about his staying power were dashed by a second season ending with a 23-5 record and a trip to the Elite Eight. He was named national coach of the year and lined up an incoming 2022 recruiting class featuring three McDonald’s All-Americans. Year 3 wasn’t so smooth, but ended in the Sweet 16, nevertheless. The program’s biggest concern was NBA teams swarming to poach the coach each offseason, but Howard swatted away rumors.

Three years later, it’s impossible to square such a promising beginning with the current view.

Having missed last year’s NCAA Tournament, Michigan fell to unthinkable depths this season. An 8-24 record is the program’s worst in 40 years. Its regular season ended with eight straight losses by an average deficit of nearly 19 points. A 3-17 Big Ten record cemented a last-place conference finish for the first time since 1966-67. Crisler Center has been empty and lifeless but for very different reasons than 2021.

On Wednesday night in Minneapolis, Michigan lost 66-57 to Penn State in a predictably brief visit to the Big Ten tournament.

The season began in flux after heart surgery sidelined Howard for the preseason and much of November and December. The roster wasn’t good enough. Over the last two summers, the program lost four underclassmen to the NBA, an All-American to the transfer portal, and suffered from school admissions blocking some portal additions. In early February, Howard noted that “buy-in has to be reciprocated (by players)” but said he isn’t questioning his approach. “This sh– works,” he told reporters.

But the program’s present issues seem to run deeper than its play on the court.

That’s why a makeshift meeting room was assembled inside Michigan Stadium last week. There, officials from Rankin Climate, an external firm specializing in organizational “climate assessments,” convened to conduct a probe into the culture of the men’s basketball program. Rankin officials asked some athletic department employees about their experiences in the program, Howard’s leadership and support offered by the athletic department. Those interviewed were told that participation was voluntary, according to multiple university employees granted anonymity because they are not permitted to speak about the investigation.

The review, following claims made by former Michigan strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson, marked a new flashpoint for a program looking to find a floor in such a precarious fall. It also complicates the task facing Manuel, who must weigh what was versus what is, and how much trust and faith are owed to one of Michigan’s own.

Hired in May 2019, Howard built a staff that locked in for the long run. He retained assistant coach Saddi Washington, listened to advice from Kentucky coach John Calipari to hire an experienced consigliere named Phil Martelli, and tapped New York Knicks assistant Howard Eisley, a lifelong friend and Detroit native. Other internal support staff also remained in place, notably strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson, whom Beilein hired in 2009.

Four years later, the staff remained entirely unchanged. The lack of turnover was considered a major asset when Howard was forced to step away following his September heart procedure.

But then came early December and a moment that now in many ways threatens the whole of the parts.

Following a Dec. 7 disagreement between a trainer and senior guard Jace Howard , Juwan’s 22-year-old son, tempers flared, resulting in a scene that Sanderson later described as “totally out of control.” In his account, described in an email to Manuel and later obtained by The Athletic , Sanderson intervened in the spat between Jace Howard and the trainer, which upset Juwan Howard. Sanderson wrote that he tried to de-escalate the situation, turning his back and walking away. But he said Juwan Howard came at him “angry and ready to fight,” repeatedly yelling as players and staff held him back. News of the incident emerged days later when Sanderson did not travel with the Wolverines to a road game at Iowa.

On Dec. 15, following a human resources review, the university cleared Howard of any wrongdoing. In a statement, Manuel said “nothing was found to warrant disciplinary action for anyone involved.”

Juwan Howard has never publicly addressed the incident, telling reporters to refer to Manuel’s statement, saying, “I think it was clear. It was precise.”

Sanderson spent the ensuing weeks working primarily with some of the school’s Olympic sports teams.

Two weeks ago, Sanderson officially parted ways with the university after 15 years. The athletic department said Sanderson resigned from his post; two sources briefed on the agreement confirmed he reached a settlement that included a non-disclosure clause.

While Sanderson’s departure seemingly put an end to the December incident, broader concerns voiced by Sanderson in the days after the altercation ultimately became the focus of the recent investigation into the program’s culture.

According to documents obtained by The Athletic , which include emails between Sanderson and athletic department officials along with the letter from Steven Stapleton, Sanderson’s attorney, Sanderson alleged that Howard physically threatened one of Howard’s sons – then a player on the team – during a 2022-23 practice and bullied members of his basketball staff.

“There is a culture of fear within the MBB (men’s basketball) program and concern for retaliation by Coach Howard that has prevented staff from coming forward earlier, but now it is time to address that abhorrent culture,” Stapleton wrote in a letter emailed to Manuel on Dec. 11, 2023.

Sanderson claims Howard approached his son, Jett, visibly angry during a 2022-23 practice and threatened, “I’ll slap the sh– out of you,” adding the incident “sparked a lot of internal conversation.” Sanderson said one coach on staff said he saw Juwan Howard “manhandle” Jett on the side of the court; that coach expressed that he was upset with how Jett was being treated.

Other allegations levied by Sanderson include bullying behavior directed toward members of the coaching staff and others.

“There are troubling issues within the program and it is clear that Head Coach Juwan Howard has created an intolerable environment for both staff and Student Athletes,” Stapleton wrote in the letter.

Michigan declined to comment to The Athletic , citing a previous statement that Manuel plans to review the program after the season.

Sanderson, who recently joined Illinois basketball in a consulting role for 2024 postseason play, also declined to comment.

The complexity surrounding Sanderson’s claims is what preceded them. The most high-profile moment of Howard’s coaching tenure remains his actions following a game at Wisconsin in February 2022. Howard attempted to walk past Badgers coach Greg Gard in the handshake line but was stopped by the Wisconsin head coach in mid-stride. The two coaches exchanged heated words before things escalated. Amid the disorder, Howard struck Badgers assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft in the head. He said in a news conference afterward that someone touched him and “I thought it was time to protect myself.”

Manuel called the Wisconsin incident “unacceptable behavior” and the Big Ten suspended Howard for the final five games of the 2021-22 regular season and fined him $40,000. In a statement released by the university after his suspension was announced, Howard apologized. “After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were, and how they affected so many,” he said. “I am truly sorry.”

That incident came only a year after Howard was involved in a blowup with Maryland coach Mark Turgeon. In the 2021 conference tournament, Turgeon stepped toward Howard, Howard stepped toward Turgeon, and both sidelines rushed in to separate the two. Howard was issued double technical fouls, ejected, and escorted off the floor, while Turgeon received a technical. According to a source involved in the matter, the official report submitted to the Big Ten office from the incident stated Howard yelled to Turgeon, “I’ll f—— kill you.” Howard was not punished following that incident.

Now the conversation is not only centered on another physical altercation, but on the culture of the program. It’s unclear how many individuals participated in last week’s external probe and what findings have been delivered to the school.

“You don’t see it, but behind closed doors, I feel like our culture is good,” said Terrance Williams II , a Michigan senior and member of Howard’s second recruiting class, after Wednesday’s season-ending loss. “I feel like Coach Howard is doing a good job, and he’s going to continue to do a good job.”

Juwan Howard walked across the Crisler Center floor a week before Christmas, pumping a fist both in celebration, and relief. An easy win over visiting Eastern Michigan marked his first game in a full head-coaching capacity since easing back from open-heart surgery. He would say later the procedure felt like getting “hit by a Mack truck” and that he lost over 30 pounds in a recovery that required 15 days in the hospital.

Celebrating the comeback, Michigan president Santa Ono embraced Howard before leaving the floor that day. It had been, at the time, less than 24 hours since Howard was cleared of wrongdoing in the Sanderson incident.

Now, three months later, Ono, the first-year university president, is entrusting Manuel to decide if Howard will spend a sixth season in Ann Arbor. The 51-year-old has two years remaining on a contract extension paying nearly $3.4 million annually. It was signed in November 2021, when he was the reigning national coach of the year.

Manuel, in his eighth year as athletic director, and himself a constant target of fan ire, told reporters in February that he hadn’t considered the idea of a change in leadership of the men’s basketball program. Whether that’s still the case, and whether Ono supports that stance, remains to be seen.

Michigan’s decline can’t be seen as a one-off event specific to 2023-24. Last year, despite having All-American center Hunter Dickinson and Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard , the Wolverines finished the regular season 17-14 and missed the NCAA Tournament. Dickinson transferred to Kansas in the offseason, while Bufkin and Howard were both selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Michigan’s slide has been a gradual one; one stemming as much from damning miscalculations in roster construction as anything else. Multiple times Howard went to great efforts recruiting underclassmen transfers who couldn’t clear Michigan’s admission requirements. But a program like Michigan doesn’t find itself in its current state due to one or two reasons. It’s a culmination.

Whether Manuel and Michigan afford Howard the chance to reboot the program or not comes with a dash of historical symmetry. In 2020, many Michigan fans and leaders were adamant the football program needed to move on from Jim Harbaugh. Instead, Manuel restructured the polarizing coach’s contract and stuck with him. Three years later, the program won a national title.

Howard told reporters in Minneapolis on Wednesday night that he had yet to speak to Manuel about his status as head coach and repeated his clear desire to be the one to fix Michigan basketball next year.

The question now is whether he is going to get that chance.

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic ; photos: Rey Del Rio, G Flume / Getty Images)

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