U.S. Gamers Crack AIDS Puzzle that Stumped Scientists

[Rex B]

Wow, that is amazing! Thanks for posting.

[RHenriksen]

Incredible! :-)

[OldCurlyWolf]

No one ever accused most of those gamers of being stupid. Weird, but not stupid.

[hpcatx]

Now, if they can just figure out how to make the same scientific advances integrated into a good FPS game, like EA's Battlefield.

[Rex B]

Now, if they can just figure out how to make the same scientific advances integrated into a good FPS game, like EA's Battlefield.

They might be able to solve the Palestinian/Israel impasse that way

[RPB]

Distributed computing is something I've been involved in for years. And many I built for friends and relatives do research between keystrokes/mouseclicks etc. Since processors do millions of cycles per second, lots of those computer processing cycles are wasted as "Idle processor cycles = System Idle Process" (Start run taskmgr) ... My computer(s) have been on and doing research since 1996 Also a computer in Austin at a hospital I visited is still running research program I put on it 5 years ago :)

A processor cycle is a terrible thing to waste ... programs exist to use the video card processor as well as the computer processor, to use game boxes like playstations etc too. Perhaps everyone's smart phone can do research too.

Cures for some cancers and other research etc have been fou7nd from these

http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is one resource

Active Research
Drug Search for Leishmaniasis
Computing for Clean Water
The Clean Energy Project - Phase 2
Discovering Dengue Drugs - Together - Phase 2
Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy - Phase 2
Help Fight Childhood Cancer
Help Conquer Cancer
Human Proteome Folding - Phase 2
FightAIDS@Home
Completed Research
Influenza Antiviral Drug Search
The Clean Energy Project
Discovering Dengue Drugs - Together
Nutritious Rice for the World
AfricanClimate@Home
Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy
Genome Comparison
Help Defeat Cancer
Human Proteome Folding

==========================

In 1984 mom got a rare Leukemia ...My mom died in 1984 from that incurable Leukemia ... in 1986, 2 years later, they found a cure. I have met people who got it in 1985 and are still around.

In a nutshell, 2 heads are better than one.

3 million computers doing one year of research isn't quite 3 million years worth of research (but it's a LOT), and it's way better than only one guy at a lab doing one year of research and overlooking something.

Often, it eliminates what will NOT work, thereby saving time, and quite a few chemical compounds from existing plants etc look promising in cancer research.

[Rex B]

RPB, this appears to be a bit different. Where distributed computing is anonymous computers crunching numbers to whittle through all the possible solutions to equations (as I understand it) this involved smart people and computers figuring out patterns and puzzles which have eluded scientists. The human element is what made the difference.

[RPB]

RPB, this appears to be a bit different. Where distributed computing is anonymous computers crunching numbers to whittle through all the possible solutions to equations (as I understand it) this involved smart people and computers figuring out patterns and puzzles which have eluded scientists. The human element is what made the difference.

Yeah I caught that, good for the gamers.... still the commonality is more researchers/ 2 heads are better than one element is great

Using human problem solving ability with computing/ more "brainpower" is an extension of using a processor, more human brains computing ... "outside the box" (outside of the computer case)

It's still "distributed computing" the "problem" distributed to many users ... but with some "tasks" or "threads" of that problem assigned to the brain, and others to the silicone based processor

The human input portion of this more resembles Computer assisted "brainstorming" sessions, whereas the typical model of distributed computing may limit the "brainstorming/creative" portion or limit new potential input variables to those formulated by the Programmer which necessarily would limit the possible outcomes/results.

So I think this gamer experiment was great.... sort of an evolution of distributed computing.

[unhappycamper]

Now, if they can just figure out how to make the same scientific advances integrated into a good FPS game, like EA's Battlefield.

They might be able to solve the Palestinian/Israel impasse that way

Maybe the Israelis should try the American solution. For every terrorist attack by Islamic extremists, attack two Islamic countries and kill the people in charge. It's not a game but it's FPS.

[Rex B]

I don't think the Israelis have anything to learn from us about dealing with terrorists.