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Archive | Genetics

Foldit - Cure Cancer in your Spare Time

Friday, May 9, 2008

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Who would have thought that manipulating amyloid-beta precursor proteins could be fun? Foldit, a game developed by University of Washington students along side professional game developers, is designed to harness the collective brain power of gamers for the purpose of making advances in protein science:

Can humans really help computers fold proteins?

We’re collecting data to find out if humans’ pattern-recognition and puzzle-solving abilities make them more efficient than existing computer programs at pattern-folding tasks. If this turns out to be true, we can then teach human strategies to computers and fold proteins faster than ever!

(Via Kotaku.)

Genetic Programming Book [Free Download]

Monday, April 21, 2008

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Thanks to Anthony Stevens at The Pursuit of a Life for bringing this free e-book download to my attention. Looks like an interesting read, and will make a nice addition to the growing library on my Amazon Kindle.
A Field Guide to Genetic Programming.jpg

Genetic programming (GP) is a systematic, domain-independent method for getting computers to solve problems automatically starting from a high-level statement of what needs to be done. Using ideas from natural evolution, GP starts from an ooze of random computer programs, and progressively refines them through processes of mutation and sexual recombination, until high-fitness solutions emerge. All this without the user having to know or specify the form or structure of solutions in advance. GP has generated a plethora of human-competitive results and applications, including novel scientific discoveries and patentable inventions

(Via The Pursuit of a Life.)

About

This site is edited by Michael Schneider, an attorney with the firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati. When not working with clients on legal issues, Michael enjoys tracking and writing about emerging technology and the Internet.