Thursday, September 22, 2011

Gamers Solve Scientific Problems

You have all heard of the deadly AIDS virus and how it is transmitted. You may even know someone who is suffereing from the virus or has died from it. Scientists and researchers have been hard at work trying to unlock the secrets of this awful virus for years. Well, thanks to a computer game, Foldit, which was created by the University of Washington, gamers have ulocked a piece of a protein that could lead to finding a cure to the virus. Read this article to learn more about how everyday problem solving through gaming is being used to tackle diseases that plague the human body.


After you have read this article answer the following questions in a new blog post. Title the post "Gamers Solve Scientific Problems".

How did gamers use the computer game Foldit to solve the protein folding mystery?

Who can particpate in this problem solving and be a player in Foldit?

What can critical thinking do for science?

If you could solve a mystery through gaming for any kind of disease or illness in the world, what would it be?


                                                             click on image to access article
image retrieved from http://www.neontommy.com/

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