Computer gamers solve problem in AIDS research that puzzled scientists for years
By playing a game called Foldit, where players (often with no scientific background) try to fold protein structures into their likely structures, players have unlocked a key structure in the fight against HIV.
By simply tweaking a chain of amino acids over and over until they get it to fold into a realistic, stable structure, these gamers were able to deduce the 3-D structure of a key protein in Mason-Pfizer monkey virus, a relative of HIV. Now that we know the structure, drugs may be designed to attack this key protein.
So next time someone tells you to stop playing that game, open up Foldit and tell them you’re doing science!
(via Discover Magazine)
(via jtotheizzoe)
