詼諧的語言，生動的內容一分鐘快速掌握科技最新動態(tài)

>>>本期節(jié)目音頻下載<<<

Online Gamers Help Solve Protein Structure

Scientists can now include online gaming in their problem-solving arsenal. Because game players seem to have provided an answer to a scientific question that’s vexed researchers for a decade.
科學家們的研究方法已經不再死板，打網絡游戲也能解決問題。研究員被困100年的問題，現(xiàn)在可以通過玩家們玩游戲來揭開這個科學謎底。

Scientists wanted to know the structure of a protein-cutting enzyme produced by a retrovirus similar to HIV. They haven’t been able to solve the protein structure using standard computational methods.
科學家們很想掌握由反向病毒所衍生的蛋白剪切酶的結構，而反向病毒是指，比如HIV這樣的病毒。這類蛋白結構是不能通過標準算法法則推導就直接得出的。

Now, the game—researchers developed Foldit in 2008. Teams of players fold molecules and rotate amino acids to create 3-D protein structures. Gamers get points for structure stability.
現(xiàn)在，我們說明這檔2008年推出的游戲——佛德特（Foldit，學名：實驗性的蛋白質折疊電子游戲），玩家可以各自分小組進行，所有玩家在游戲中折疊分子和旋轉氨基酸，創(chuàng)造出三維的蛋白結構，游戲得分標準基于蛋白質的穩(wěn)定程度。

So researchers asked gamers to try to solve this particular protein. Within three weeks, the gamers found a good solution. The scientists then refined it and were able to completely determine the protein’s structure. Having the structure could inform the use of drugs to block the enzyme, and provide another tool against retroviruses, including HIV.
那么，研究員們只要設定好游戲，玩家們就想方設法折疊出規(guī)定蛋白的結構，3周后，玩家成功闖關。最后，只要科學家們再精煉總結一下，就能得到蛋白的結構。明白了這些蛋白結構，就可以制造出應對酶的產物，也可以提供遏止病毒蛋白質的工具，比如HIV病毒。

The researchers say that people have better spatial reasoning skills than computers—and that using both humans and machines might be a way to overcome various structural challenges. The results appear in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. [Firas Khatib et al, Crystal structure of a monomeric retroviral protease solved by protein folding game players] Co-authored by researchers—and a number of gamers.
研究者們認為，人類的空間推理能力要比電腦強大的多，所以結合電腦和人類的大腦才是解決各種各樣問題的最佳方法。這一結果已經在《自然結構》雜志和《生物分子》刊登出來（Firas Khatib，等人；“美麗的反向病毒蛋白酶單鏈結構”），當然，作者一欄寫的是研究員和大眾玩家合著。

—Cynthia Graber

?

點擊進入參與科學60秒查看背景資料和單詞總結>>>


聲明：音視頻均來自互聯(lián)網鏈接，僅供學習使用。本網站自身不存儲、控制、修改被鏈接的內容。"滬江英語"高度重視知識產權保護。當如發(fā)現(xiàn)本網站發(fā)布的信息包含有侵犯其著作權的鏈接內容時，請聯(lián)系我們，我們將依法采取措施移除相關內容或屏蔽相關鏈接。