Molecular simulations using PlayStation 3

molecular_simulation_playstation_3.jpg


While wandering around looking at the outreach activities at ESOF2008, I came across this interesting booth for the PS3GRID project, by members of the Multiscale Lab, which is located in the University of Pompeu Fabra's Computational Biochemistry and Biophysics Laboratory at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park.

Run by volunteers, the project involves building computer simulations of molecules to study protein dynamics and interactions. This is done using gaming hardware such as the PlayStation 3 and NVIDIA graphics card, which have more processing power than the CPUs found in standard computers.

The project leaders are asking gamers to "donate" processing power, such that their consoles can run molecular simulations while not being used to play games. According to the website, the consoles of 10,000 volunteers would provide processing power that is equivalent to the world's largest supercomputer.

The researchers taking part in the project are particularly interested in the proteins associated with Alzheimer's Disease. In the photograph above, a simulation of the gramicidine A potassium channel, which contains some 30,000 atoms, can be seen in the background.

Categories

More like this

When we look at a the data for a population+ often the first thing we do is look at the mean. But even if we know that the distribution
I love this question: Why is it warmer in the summer than in the winter (for the Northern hemisphere)? Go ahead and ask your friends. I suppose they will give one of the following likely answers:
Technorati Tags: ddftw, bozos, markcc-screwups
Last week we looked at the organ systems involved in regulation and control of body functions: the nervous, sensory, endocrine and circadian systems. This week, we will cover the organ systems that are regulated and controlled.