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Post by Tom on Dec 21, 2004 16:32:24 GMT -5
Help out by joining Folding@Home. folding.stanford.edu/So what is folding, you ask?"Folding@Home is a distributed computing project which studies protein folding, misfolding, aggregation, and related diseases. We use novel computational methods and large scale distributed computing, to simulate timescales thousands to millions of times longer than previously achieved. This has allowed us to simulate folding for the first time, and to now direct our approach to examine folding related disease." I"m thinking about creating a team of folders for Wayzata. Anyone interested?
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Post by ean on Dec 21, 2004 18:41:03 GMT -5
?
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Mike
New Member
Posts: 44
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Post by Mike on Dec 21, 2004 18:46:36 GMT -5
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Post by ean on Dec 21, 2004 18:58:50 GMT -5
explain tom.
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Post by Tom on Dec 21, 2004 19:09:38 GMT -5
you know proteins right?...proteins structure are defined by their primary structure (the links of amino acids). As proteins are being made by RNA, amino acids are linked one after another forming this primary stucture. When the protein "folds" into tertiary sturcture (3-D structiure), after the completion of the protein, it takes on a specific role.
However, when the folding is abnormal, diseases arise. When you're gene's are mutated, everyone knows your DNA is altered. However, you're DNA codes into mRNA which codes for all the proteins that you're body needs. Changing one "letter" (A, C, T, G) will alter the 3-D shape of the protein, in most cases. Our body doesn't have "checking" mechanisms to repair problems. But nevertheless, it's a big problem.
By understanding protein folding, we can locate the source of many diseases. When you join Folding@Home, you're computer will be used to "process" simulations of protein folding. All results are sent back to Stanford.
You can make a difference by helping....
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Post by SaundersPonders on Dec 21, 2004 19:13:49 GMT -5
All it is, is they use your computer processing power to help with really complicatied and heavy processing power requirements (years, even decades) SETI was the first to use this idea, and I'd rather look for aliens than care about how proteins make themselves so small
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Post by Tom on Dec 21, 2004 19:16:12 GMT -5
What good is there to search for aliens? By the time it takes us to send a signal and get one back, we'll be dead. And we can't travel close to the speed of light
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Post by SaundersPonders on Dec 21, 2004 19:18:48 GMT -5
Besides theres so many others out there, which one is more important?
If we find aliens they will undoubtly already know about protein folding, assuming they are carbon based and not anyother such as silica based (Star trek) whoa geek
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Post by ean on Dec 21, 2004 19:28:36 GMT -5
Im on saunders side, who cares about silly proteins. Lets find those aliens. ;D Enough with the proteins, more aliens, less proteins....
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Post by Tom on Dec 21, 2004 20:18:18 GMT -5
I disagree...proteins are more practical. The chances of finding the right protein is so much greater than the chances of finding aliens. Plus we're dealing with thousands of diseases out there. And how do you suppose the aliens are more advance than we are?
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Post by ean on Dec 21, 2004 20:20:38 GMT -5
Tom, proteins are dumb. Aliens are better, i would much rather invest in aliens and proteins.
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Post by Tom on Dec 21, 2004 20:24:22 GMT -5
lol...you don't understand medicine at all.
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Post by ean on Dec 21, 2004 20:26:32 GMT -5
Aliens are better! Before proteins we should invest into college...
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Post by Tom on Dec 21, 2004 21:11:57 GMT -5
Sure, there may be aliens. But again, how do we know that contacting an alien race will be advantageous?
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Post by detective on Dec 21, 2004 21:25:46 GMT -5
Tom, just face it, aliens are way better than proteins and since proteins are good, aliens must be great.
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