Nature Structural & Molecular Biology recently named gamers alongside scientists as co-authors of an entry that reveals secrets that may make possible new weapons against HIV and similar retroviruses. Gamers made the discovery in Foldit, a game created by the University of Washington who were following the recent trend of ‘gaming work’ and harnessing the power of game-like motivation. Using the games online tools, participants had unfolded and created an accurate 3D representation of a monomeric protease enzyme (a cutting agent of the retrovirus in questions) in just three weeks.
Much has been said lately about the untapped potential of gamers to solve complex problems and generate user-driven projects like the countless wikis online. In time, the unfolding of this enzyme could be looked back upon as the first step of those great advances, where by combining a human’s creativity, spatial reasoning, and adaptability with the processing potential and reliability of machines, gamers began saving the world for real.
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