Group cracks AIDS mystery with computer game

A problem that has been puzzling scientists working on AIDS research for years has, it is claimed, been cracked in just three weeks by a group of gamers playing a game called 'Foldit'. 

They used the game to solve the crystal structure of the M-PMV  retrovirus that allows the HIV-1 virus to replicate. It is hoped that this will prove to be a breakthrough that will allow the creation of new antiviral drugs to combat the disease.

Using games to solve scientific problems is increasingly popular, as people without a scientific background don't approach the research with the same preconceptions and perspectives of traditional boffins.

The human brain is much better at pattern recognition than a conventional computer. Because of this, what can take months of computing time can be solved quite quickly by someone who sees something intuitive in the structure. 

In addition predicting a protein's structure normally takes huge amounts of processing power. But because Foldit generates graphical representations of the structure of a protein, this allowed the gamers to approach the problem as a visual puzzle.

Pharmaceutical and medical corporations are also showing interest in this means of research as it doesn't require the same cost and overhead as employing as many scientific staff or large amounts of computing time.