Comments on: Fold It: The Protein Folding Game

By: Marielena

Marielena — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:09:00 +0000

HOLITAS!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:05:47 +0000

Greetings! We would like to use the screenshot of the protein folding game FoldIt that you posted last year. Could you email me when you have a chance?

Thanks!

Cheers,
Sarah

By: Warren

Warren — Thu, 14 May 2009 02:55:19 +0000

If the rules of protein folding can be discovered, then maybe what makes prions either harmless or deadly can be determined. Like a cure for mad-cow disease or not.

By: Renton Innes

Renton Innes — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:54:55 +0000

hi, I am Aotearoa.

I invite you to come and join us folding protein, you dont have to know anything about protein, but just learn how to use the tools that can manipulate them, and join in on the puzzles.

See you there,

Respectfully,

Aotearoa
Team – Richard Dawkins Foundation

By: Fold It: juega y colabora en la investigación plegando proteínas | Mare Magnum

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:53:46 +0000

[...] Visto en el blog de Michael Graham Richard. [...]

By: Benj

Benj — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:16:51 +0000

To clarify; if you do find something new and amazing while playing the game, the Bakerlab will cite you in its scientific papers. If you happen to earn the Nobel Prize, and if you were working alone, I am sure you would be credited. If you are working in a team however, they would probably just say the team’s name, as they could not say everyone on the team.

By: dr jay

dr jay — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:07:44 +0000

>And if some discovery went to win a Nobel prize, they would be >named as co-recipients.
>
>Not 100% sure about the Nobel part, but that certainly would be a
>nice incentive

If you mean “named as co-recipients” literally, I’m 100% sure that it’s *not* the case, as the Nobel rules are quite explicit that a given prize can be split at most three ways, and if there are more than three contributors, it sure ain’t the “head honchos” who get left out.

“Named in the Nobel citation” is barely possible, but still highly unlikely, as there are a lot of people ahead of you in line for that too, unless you really did something that no “formal” (i.e. academic, government, or corporate) member of the “team” thought of.

And even “names included in any scientific papers published” most likely means an acknowledgment, not a co-authorship. (Again, barring something truly original that’s genuinely your contribution and yours alone.) Which is nice I suppose, but add four bucks and it’ll get you a gallon of gas (this week, in relatively “cheap” places).

By: crazyasuka

crazyasuka — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:51:53 +0000

This is gorgeous. Looks so hot, with the alpha helixes and the beta sheets, and I’m going ot try that!

By: Michael Graham Richard

Michael Graham Richard — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:06:56 +0000

gizelle,

Sadly, that’s the case with many technologies. They are tool, so they can be used as weapons. But the other side of the coin is that it could be used to develop vaccines rapidly against bio-weapons.

By: gizelle

gizelle — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:30:28 +0000

It kind of creeps me out that DARPA is sponsoring this…I mean I am thankful that they brought me the internet, but I really don’t think we all need to help them create the next bio-weapon!

By: GamesAjare » EL PLEGAMIENTO DE LA PROTEÍNA

GamesAjare » EL PLEGAMIENTO DE LA PROTEÍNA — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:16:11 +0000

[...] (momento en el que el que suscribe no sabe que poner). Se lo vamos a explicar no se preocupen. Existe un juego muy instructivo sobre este tema que nos concierne a todos, porque todos estamos formados por millones y millones de [...]

By: Michael Graham Richard

Michael Graham Richard — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:39:22 +0000

moss,

That’s strange. I had no problems registering (took 15 seconds).

The site has been very slow lately, though. I bet they have more traffic than they expected. If I were you, I’d wait a few days and try again – it might be server issue.

By: moss

moss — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:34:26 +0000

When I follow the instructions to go to the site it asks for a new person to register.
When I click on that link it says I am not premitted to use the site.

PROBLEM?

By: Eluem

Eluem — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:55:31 +0000

There was a software program some years ago called Sculpt. The start-up that wrote it eventually was bought out by Acelrys and I believe sculpt is now a function in their software somewhere. Glad to see it here though — think this is a much more iteresting way of using the interactivity.

By: Eluem

Eluem — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:53:10 +0000

Money, give them the money!

By: Fold It: juega y colabora en la investigación plegando proteínas « Mare Magnum

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:31:09 +0000

[...] Visto en el blog de Michael Graham Richard. [...]

By: Michael Graham Richard

Michael Graham Richard — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:43:23 +0000

“Add in some prize money for the high score(s), and you will have hordes of teenage boys cracking protein foldings in their spare time (of which they have lots).”

I’ve read that the people who get the highest scores and help design proteins or solve problems will have their names included in any scientific papers published.

And if some discovery went to win a Nobel prize, they would be named as co-recipients.

Not 100% sure about the Nobel part, but that certainly would be a nice incentive

By: Michael Graham Richard

Michael Graham Richard — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:42:02 +0000

Cody,

In short: the human body uses about 100,000 proteins (encoded in about 20,000 genes, iirc). Proteins are the building blocks of life. Pretty much everything biological is done with them.

Protein function is determined by its 3D shape. The better we get at predicting protein 3D shapes from amino acid sequences, the better we get at predicting function from 3D shape, and the better we get at designing proteins from scratch, the easier it will be for us to understand how metabolism works and to find cures for diseases.

By: Helen

Helen — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:34:20 +0000

What about having high school kids do this as part of their curriculum? They could have challenges with other schools or between classes in the same school. I suppose some prize other than a good grade would add incentive.

By: cody

cody — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:08:31 +0000

I would’ve liked a little info on why folding proteins helps science and how that will be used to in the real world some day.

Thanks for posting this.

By: Morten

Morten — Sun, 11 May 2008 21:23:02 +0000

Cool idea. Add in some prize money for the high score(s), and you will have hordes of teenage boys cracking protein foldings in their spare time (of which they have lots).