After stumbling across Eyewire--a game that maps the brain--the other day, I began wondering how many science projects there are for ordinary folks to help with. Answer is--a lot. Wikipedia lists many citizen science projects. (Wikipedia itself invites people to help; check this page for information on Wikipedians.) LearningScience also has a list of projects that invite you to help scientists do real science.
Of the projects listed at LearningScience I selected the following, which are presented as games. Note that the tutorials are important.
At Nova Labs you can find a number of labs/projects: RNA, cloud, sun, and energy. Below is a screenshot from the RNA Lab. This is a point-and-click game with lovely effects, especially sound.
Foldit is a portal for protein folding. When you play you're predicting how a protein will fold; this is important because--
Phylo is a puzzle game of matching colors that contributes to genetic disease research. You can simply start playing when you load the site, but must sign up to get credit for your progress.
A hard one is Eyewire, a game to map the brain. The path of a neuron can trick the eye and the player has to work 3-dimensionally. There's a leader board and a chat window with ongoing comments, requests for help, and conversations.
If you're tired of gaming, how about some big game. You can sign up for a wildlife conservation holiday at nonprofit Biosphere Expeditions, a gateway for a variety of expeditions and projects. One example of a 2-week expedition is tiger volunteering in Sumatra, Indonesia.
-- Marge
Of the projects listed at LearningScience I selected the following, which are presented as games. Note that the tutorials are important.
At Nova Labs you can find a number of labs/projects: RNA, cloud, sun, and energy. Below is a screenshot from the RNA Lab. This is a point-and-click game with lovely effects, especially sound.
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| Design biomolecules, RNA Lab, NOVA |
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Foldit is a portal for protein folding. When you play you're predicting how a protein will fold; this is important because--
This structure specifies the function of the protein. For example, a protein that breaks down glucose so the cell can use the energy stored in the sugar will have a shape that recognizes the glucose and binds to it (like a lock and key) and chemically reactive amino acids that will react with the glucose and break it down to release the energy.Also, knowing how a protein folds helps in the design of new proteins to to combat disease-related proteins and cure diseases like HIV, cancer, and Alzheimer's. Currently Foldit is in beta and you must download a client. Since I haven't tested it, I don't know if you must log into the portal to play the game or what gameplay is like.
Phylo is a puzzle game of matching colors that contributes to genetic disease research. You can simply start playing when you load the site, but must sign up to get credit for your progress.
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| Genetic Disease Research, Phylo |
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A hard one is Eyewire, a game to map the brain. The path of a neuron can trick the eye and the player has to work 3-dimensionally. There's a leader board and a chat window with ongoing comments, requests for help, and conversations.
***
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| Map the brain, Eyewire |
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If you're tired of gaming, how about some big game. You can sign up for a wildlife conservation holiday at nonprofit Biosphere Expeditions, a gateway for a variety of expeditions and projects. One example of a 2-week expedition is tiger volunteering in Sumatra, Indonesia.
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| Sumatran Tiger, Biosphere Expeditions |
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-- Marge
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