The feat was accomplished using a collaborative online game called Foldit |
New species of dolphin discovered, astronomers discover rare planet orbiting two suns, and gamers solve molecular puzzle that baffled scientists.
• Astronomers discover rare planet orbiting two suns.
 Astronomers have announced the discovery of an uncommon planet that is located some 200 light years away from Earth with two suns. The rare planet orbits two stars, as portrayed in the sci-fi movie "Star Wars" more than 30 years ago. "Star Wars" portrayed the existence of a planet called "Tatooine" which has two sunsets. Now, it has become a reality after 34 years.
 Read » [ibtimes.com]
• New species of dolphin discovered.
 Around 150 of the dolphins live around the Melbourne area and had until now been assumed to be one of the known bottlenose dolphins. But detailed DNA studies and analysis of skulls in museums showed the two populations are in fact a new species.
Read » [bbc.co.uk]
• Gamers solve molecular puzzle that baffled scientists.
 Video-game players have solved a molecular puzzle that stumped scientists for years, and those scientists say the accomplishment could point the way to crowdsourced cures for AIDS and other diseases. The feat, which was accomplished using a collaborative online game called Foldit, is also one giant leap for citizen science - a burgeoning field that enlists Internet users to look for alien planets, decipher ancient texts and do other scientific tasks that sheer computer power can't accomplish as easily. The game is designed so that players can manipulate virtual molecular structures that look like multicolored, curled-up Tinkertoy sets. The virtual molecules follow the same chemical rules that are obeyed by real molecules. When someone playing the game comes up with a more elegant structure that reflects a lower energy state for the molecule, his or her score goes up.
Read » [msnbc.msn.com]
Author: Ruth Lorraine, for AZ10.com ~ 19 Sep 2011
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