prosthetic knowledge

Foldit - Game which turns scientific research into a competitive puzzle game

Achievement Unlocked - Cured AIDS

From New Scientisit:

Players of an online video game called Foldit have helped researchers discover the structure of an protein-cutting enzyme produced by an AIDS-like virus found in monkeys. Scientists have struggled with the problem for a decade, but the gamers helped crack it in just three weeks.

Foldit tasks players with manipulating the complex 3D shapes of various virtual proteins in an effort to discover what they look like in real life. Proteins tend to occupy low-energy states, so players are awarded points for the most energy-efficient configurations. The game was created by researchers at the University of Washington in 2008 and since then players have proved that they can beat other automated protein-folding methods, which can often get stuck in dead-ends that require human creativity to overcome.

More here from New Scientist
Foldit Website
Link to a video explaining the game