Addictive Foldit puzzle game pits human skills against computers
By Susan Wilson
Science is comparing human and computer puzzle solving skills in an online puzzle game called Foldit. Different puzzles consisting of different strings of proteins and amino acids are available for players to solve. As you fold and manipulate the protein/amino acid, you get points.
Foldit also allows the players to join teams or play solo competitively. By engaging human puzzle solving skills to discover the best configuration for various proteins, scientists are attempting to find out if humans or computers do a better job of finding the optimum protein configurations for use in developing new drugs or understanding diseases like Cancer, HIV/AIDS, and Alzheimers.
The puzzles are addictive and hard to stop playing. The shapes and configurations are all different three dimensional renderings that require a lot of shifting and flipping. Finding the best way to fold the protein strands in on themselves is difficult. The graphics, although not WOW (World of Warcraft) level are excellent for its intended purpose.
This program is part of an ongoing project using grid or distributive computing to discover better ways of developing protein models in the search to find cures for various diseases, just a few of which are listed above. Rosetta@home originally ran a project that used computers to generate billions of possible protein configurations. Foldit@home is part of the Rosetta@home research.
Now my brain and puzzle solving abilities are being used like all of those volunteer computers. Individuals and groups from around the world are playing this game in the name of science. There are forums and even a Foldit Wiki to help with explanations and solutions.
The best explanation of grid computing comes from the Berkeley University BOINC site. BOINC is actually open source software that was developed at Berkeley for use in grid computing. Volunteers donate unused resources on their computers to help scientists, universities and companies develop new vaccines and medicines; discover new stars and life in space; and develop better green energy models.
I have been running a variety of distributive computer programs on my computers for years. Normally the work units just run in the background and get up dated on a regular basis. No muss no fuss once you’ve set it up.
It’s fun to work the puzzles and be a community member helping to discover cures for such heart breaking diseases as Cancer and Alzheimers. If I’m going to play computer games, at least with this one, I’m not simply wasting my time.
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Entry was posted
on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
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Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
Stumble It!
January 22nd, 2009
This program is very cool, but seriously slows down my computer — I’m using Windows 7 beta, which might be a problem, but should still perform better than Vista. I’ve searched the site without much luck. Any thoughts?
February 14th, 2009
The game is interesting, but not only is it a resource hog, there is virtually no documentation. It has also been suggested that their model for game play might have a big flaw that could make your work (and it IS work) nothing more than spent time.
Be prepared to teach yourself and spend many, many hours learning to play. There are few if any official helpers, and although the user community is helpful, it’s very confusing and tedious to learn what can and can’t be done, how to do the folding, or in fact, why you’re really doing it in the first place.