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Computer game unlocks protein puzzle

Fri, 08/06/2010 - 00:00 by Prince damin

Seattle -- Computer gamers are helping U.S. scientists discover secrets about the structure of proteins -- and having fun while they do it, they say.

More than 57,000 people, many of them non-scientists, have been playing Foldit, on online game aimed at solving the mysteries of protein structure, a report in the journal Nature said Thursday.

Several top-ranked game players even outperformed state-of-the-art computer algorithms that tackle the same problem, the article said.

The game, developed by Seth Cooper of the University of Washington in Seattle, recruited the online community to solve the mystery of how proteins fold amino acid chains that allow them to become the building blocks of life.

Gamers will drive real tracks -- from home

Sat, 10/31/2009 - 07:50 by harsheeb

London -- Computer gamers will soon race their on-screen cars against real drivers during actual televised auto races, a British computer game company says.

Real Time Race will complete a virtual gaming system in 2010 that will pit at-home players side-by-side with drivers competing in real races, the BBC reported Friday.

The race circuit would be mapped by the firm's technology just before the race, using a car with a five-headed camera to record a 360-degree picture of every part of the track. This data would be streamed to the player's computer so his virtual track would match the real one, the BBC reported.