Gamers Solve AIDS Mystery

Online gamers have solved the structure of an important protein in the HIV virus that scientists, for decades, have not been able to solve. These gamers used a website called Foldit, an online game where players work to break apart amino acids through a 3-D picture. While scientists primarily work with the 2-D view of microscopes, the program developed by the University of Washington has allowed for video gamers to contribute to the solving of protein mysteries in the field of scientific discovery. This truly shows that human cognition can make breakthroughs and we should not be too quick to judge on the usefulness of certain activities. Who would have thought that a group of video gamers would be the one to discover such an important piece of information in the fight against AIDS? Technology and innovation have truly changed the methods of discovery.