Gamers succeed where scientists fail (structure of a retrovirus enzyme)

University of Washington ^ | September 18, 2011 | Unknown

[Forgotten Amendments]

In my day, we played games outdoors! We didn't need no internets wasting our time, turning us into pantywaists.

And we had REAL music!

;)

[count-your-change]

O.K., Gamers, white shirt, tie and business haircut. You’re Somebody now!

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[Texas Songwriter]

It looks like there is no need for promulgating the theory of evolution in this ‘scientific methodology’. Far from it, it seems to demonstrate Intelligent Design (the gamers actions) rely on their intellect rather than a model dependent upon that other....religion....er, theory, for its derivitive findings. But I digr....progress.

[metmom]

I thought the same thing.....

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[kimmie7]

Fascinating.

BTTT for later re-reads.

[AdmSmith]

Thanks for your contribution at http://folding.stanford.edu/

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Except that many of the gamers who worked on this are scientists.

This is just another example of the human collective’s intellectual power.

[AdmSmith]

Thanks, yes this type of massive cooperation is used in many projects.

[AdmSmith]

An article from 1985 http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19900067433_1990067433.pdf

[zeugma]

Thanks for your contribution at http://folding.stanford.edu/

Glad to do it. I think it's a great project. Much more useful than SETI, or some other projects I participated in in the past (though I've got to admit the GIMPS search was really cool in a nerdy sort of way.

Having read through some of the peer reviewed material they've published based on F@H, I think it's definitely worth the time to participate.

I think this particular story is really interesting though. We've known for quite some time that we humans are especially good at pattern recognition, and in absence of pattern will generate them on our own on the fly! Bring together the insight of intuition with the number-cruching power and visualization abilities of computers should have all sorts of interesting offshoots.

[colinhester]

Learned more about computers folding for FR than I could have ever imagined.....love it!!

[AdmSmith]

I agree, and it is fun to find patterns both in science and in the political world.