Proteins are incredibly complex, yet tiny — so tiny that
conventional imaging techniques often can't capture them.
Proteins are incredibly complex, yet tiny — so tiny that
conventional imaging techniques often can't capture them.
istockphoto.com Researchers at the University of Washington were
stumped. They were looking at a protein that causes AIDS in
rhesus monkeys, but after 14 years of study, no one was able to
figure out the protein's exact structure. Researcher Firas
Khatib tells Rachel Martin, host of weekends on All Things
Considered, that even the most advanced imaging techniques
couldn't capture this little particle. "The reason that the
problem is so hard is that proteins are so small you can't see
them with a microscope," he says. Also, a protein can fold up
into so many possible shapes that a computer can't run through
them all. But when scientists failed, gamers came to the rescue.
Seth Cooper, creative director of the university's Center for
Game Science, had invented a computer game called Fol