Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Foldit Users Solve Baffling Problem
In a victory for gamification and science, online players of the Foldit application managed to unravel a complicated HIV-like enzyme that scientists have puzzled over for a decade. They figured it out in three weeks flat, too.
Thanks to the efforts of the Foldit community, scientists potentially have greater insight on the monomeric protease enzyme, which is in the same family as HIV. This could allow for new treatments. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, and you can read them here.
Foldit is an application that adds a competitive element to the task of unraveling complicated proteins via PC. Traditional 2D images of these proteins are nearly useless to pharmaceutical researchers, which is why it's critical to have 3D models of the structures. Computers don't do a very good job of unpacking the shapes. That's where gamers come in. Check out the video below for a good explanation of how it works. If you'd like to try it for yourself, visit Foldit's site.
[Source: Yahoo News, via a news tip from Gian]
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
