Gamers Unlock Protein Mystery

[GradyPhilpott]

This is an extremely remarkable development in my opinion.

A problem that has stumped scientists for years was solved by computer gamers in a matter of days.

It makes one wonder what how far and how fast the sciences could advance if difficult problems could be solved similarly.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393200,00.asp

[Grissom]

Grady.....that is so cool! Thank you for sharing that link!!

[axxeman01]

Great concept... Gamers are tenacious... I wonder what other implications this could have!

[Lion]

Very interesting...I'm glad positive results will be of benefit to all of us!!!

[swatty]

Makes me wonder more about what researchers are doing

[meloncap78]

Pretty amazing stuff.

[GradyPhilpott]

Much of research today is conducted via computer models and this particular problem was not amenable to that venue because computers aren't good at spatial tasks, or I'm pretty sure that's what the article said.

By putting the problem in a video game format, the researchers were able to put people on the problem who could use their skills to help solve the problem without first earning a PhD and doing the all that is entailed in being competent at biochemistry.

This is the beauty of this method, which the article states has been used in cancer and Alzheimer's research to good effect.

Intelligence is not an easy concept to measure and there are many theories of intelligence and myriad tests devised throughout the last century or more to define and test for intelligence.

All of us are strong is some things and weak in others.

Researchers are trained in various forms of research and many bring a variety of skills and aptitudes to a problem, but in any group of researchers there may be none who possess the exact skills to solve a very complex problem.

By turning this kind of problem into a game, based on known data, it was possible to get those with the requisite skills, but not the ideal educational background to use those skills to complete the problem.

I guess it remains to be seen how far such a concept can go in solving problems of all kinds, but for the time being, this is an opportunity for some otherwise average Joes to do something of great influence while playing a game.

This is what is exciting and I guess a little like the community fo amateur astronomers out there who through their dedication sometimes make important discoveries before the professionals ever see it coming.

[Nugs]

This is brilliant!
I've been contributing to Folding@home for about 5 years now, but this was an extremely clever way of solving problems that brute force computing are no good at.