HarryWeezer

Online gamers have achieved a feat beyond the realm of Second Life or Dungeons and Dragons: they have deciphered the structure of an enzyme of an AIDS-like virus that had thwarted scientists for a decade. The exploit is published on Sunday in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, where -- exceptionally in scientific publishing -- both gamers and researchers are honoured as co-authors. Their target was a monomeric protease enzyme, a cutting agent in the complex molecular tailoring of retroviruses, a family that includes HIV. Figuring out the structure of proteins is vital for understanding the causes of many diseases and developing drugs to block them. But a microscope gives only a flat image of what to the outsider looks like a plate of one-dimensional scrunched-up spaghetti. Pharmacologists, though, need a 3-D picture that "unfolds" the molecule and rotates it in order to reveal potential targets for drugs. This is where Foldit comes in. Developed in 2008 by the University of Washington, it is a fun-for-purpose video game in which gamers, divided into competing groups, compete to unfold chains of amino acids -- the building blocks of proteins -- using a set of online tools. To the astonishment of the scientists, the gamers produced an accurate model of the enzyme in just three weeks. Cracking the enzyme "provides new insights for the design of antiretroviral drugs," says the study, referring to the lifeline medication against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is believed to be the first time that gamers have resolved a long-standing scientific problem. "We wanted to see if human intuition could succeed where automated methods had failed," Firas Khatib of the university's biochemistry lab said in a press release. "The ingenuity of game players is a formidable force that, if properly directed, can be used to solve a wide range of scientific problems." One of Foldit's creators, Seth Cooper, explained why gamers had succeeded where computers had failed. "People have spatial reasoning skills, something computers are not yet good at," he said. "Games provide a framework for bringing together the strengths of computers and humans. The results in this week's paper show that gaming, science and computation can be combined to make advances that were not possible before."

Your forgot the last 10 years (80 to 90) which man got from the slug. He just crawls slowly along, emitting various fluids.

Hi Mech - thanks for checking in.

Had forgotten that back then, you had to check in weekly; two weeks missed and you were gone. And today, some can't make once a month.

Welcome to the two-timing slut group Pete.

Welcome to XI. Have fun, and don't fail to wash my feet after you kill me.

You should know, Post, that I am the clan's Range Safety Officer and if you see me in a map, I'm likely checking to ensure that whatever weapon you're using, the safety is on and it's properly cleaned, etc. So you should NOT shoot me. Enjoy our servers!!!

Fascinating stuff DeeJay but is a cats meat vendor what it sounds like? I have relatives from throughout England: http://ogdensburg.info/genealogy/places-oneletter.php?offset=1&tree=&psearch=England

Nice subdivision Acorn...

Yupper. Jean Comeau, b. 1575, Burgandy, Marne, France, came to Novia Scotia (Port Royal) where there were several generations of the family, one of which eventually locating at Chambly/Rouville area where my immigrant ancestor, Narcisse Comeau, was born in 1810. (Frenchi, apologize for hijacking your Welcome thread.)

Thanks Exe - that's actually good news since it helps narrow my French origins. I'm a descendant of Guy de Comeau, b. 1450, Pouilly En Auxoi, France. There's actually a Castle Comeau in Normandy that ties in - not much of a castle but what the hey. Also a direct descendant of Edward I (Longshanks) of England, so in other circumstances, I might have been King of England - oh, the fun I'd have. But of eight great-grandparents, 7 were French ancestry.

Should have been more detailed... If you would like some FREE genealogy work, add to this thread (or PM me) the names of your parents on both sides, their approximate birth years, and birth locations, IF they were born prior to 1930, the latest census report; plus, any such info. on their parents, etc. I usually need at least two generations to ensure I have the right people when looking at census information. If you have your lines back a number of generations, just give me the oldest ancestor you have birth year and birth location for, as well as the names of as many of their children as you have (again, two generations to verify I have the right people.) In the U.S., we pretty much have to rely on census data. If your ancestry is Canadian, it is MUCH easier and quicker since every birth, dath and marriage (Catholic and most Protestant) were recorded in parish ledgers, and I have access to those. If you're European, there's a lot of databases I can search. Otherwise, the available information gets skimpy.

Thanks v.s., that's greatly appreciated!!!

I've been doing genealogy for 40 years and now have 10,000-plus relatives in my database. Any of you folks into genealogy or have your Gen. online? Particularly interested in French-Canadian ancestry. If you need help with your ancestral line, give me a shout. Have a full subscription to ancestry.com and many other resources. Be happy to do some looking for you. Mine's here: http://ogdensburg.info/genealogy/ Also maintain a web site of historic digital images of my hometown here: http://ogdensburg.info/ And have a family web site here: http://www.tedcomo.com/html/home.html

Bonjour Frenchi. Mon nom est Ted Como et je suis de l'ascendance canadienne française ; le nom de famille était Comeau. Voyez-vous ce nom beaucoup en France ?

Very nice Rockape!!!

I'll bet granny's fried chicken is GGGOOOOOOOODDDD!!!

Murlock - great to see you back. Now quit your hacking...

What you don't want to do is reinstall the game, wipe the hard drive, etc. etc. It will do no good. I occasionally get that error, and lately (COD5) I am getting an out-of-memory error (have plenty of installed memory and drive space.) Best thing I've found for it is to use the updater and keep your maps updated. This usually occurs for me when the map changes.

You're a slut - whores get paid. Congrats!!

Sorry Bud: I would have called you had I known earlier: SACRAMENTO (CBS) – A big rig loaded with 35,000 pounds of beer flipped on its side Monday during the morning commute. The tractor trailer flipped on its side about 6 a.m. after the driver failed to make a turn while exiting Interstate 80 at Truxel Avenue, according to police. The 53-foot big rig carrying cases of Bud Light and Bud Light Lime beer blocked several lanes of Truxel on the Interstate 80 overpass. Crews offloaded the boxes of bottled beer, which were tossed around inside the truck. Dozens of the bottles broke and beer was leaking from the truck onto the roadway.

Only once in my 65 years was I that drunk and that was my high school graduation night at age 16. I remember crawling home and wishing I was dead. It had such an impression on me that I never again got that drunk, despite how much I drank.

Hi Heather who is Fish. Welcome aboard the Good Ship Idiot

Exe - short for executed - which is what I'll do to you in Ace Mod. Welcome!!!

Now that's funny...