Want to help science? Play a video game.

rikrd3(53)

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Do you like puzzles? Are you one of those who still do not release the Candy Cruh? Why not use those skills to help in the advancement of science, It is not necessary to know about physics, mathematics or biology to play, you will learn more by playing.
All this is possible today thanks to the internet, videogames have gone from being a simple entertainment of a few to be mass in society, and scientists like Adrien Treuille of Carnegie Mellon University (USA) have found a means to solve great scientific enigmas using the creative minds of millions of players around the world. Treullie is the creator of two online games Foldit and EteRNA.

FOLDIT

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Perhaps the best known, Foldit here we help scientists know the exact shape of a protein, although we know the components of a protein we do not know exactly how it is bent or folded, this is where players enter by manipulating virtually a protein in order to find the most stable form (thermodynamically speaking) all this with a friendly interface without needing knowledge of biochemistry.
Already the players have proven to be more efficient than the computers doing the work. Thanks to this game, scientists have managed to solve the three-dimensional structure of essential proteins of some infectious agents. This will allow us to improve the drugs of current medicine as well as help in various fields such as bioinformatics and molecular biology.

Want to try? Click here.

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EteRNA

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Quite similar to the concept of Foldit, but in EteRNA what is folded are RNA molecules. The objective is to form stable secondary structures (loop, double chains, etc.), as these play important roles in cells. The purpose of EteRNA is to develop the first library of synthetic RNA structures on a large scale. Players create new and improved structures in a kind of molecular Minecraf.

Want to try? Click here.

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