About Distributed Computing

Have you ever wondered what your computer does when you're not there to provide it with stimulation? On Windows, it runs a process called the 'System Idle Process'. Doesn't sound very intellectually challenging does it?

As far as an intellectual challenge, let’s not flatter ourselves either: To our computers we move at the speed of molasses in winter. Well what if your computer could be running software that benefited humanity in its ample spare time? That is precisely the task that several Distributed Computing Science and Biology projects offers your computer when you aren't using it. Currently, these projects are looking to dramatically shorten the Human Proteome Folding Project (for example). This is a project that could take years even on the most powerful supercomputer.

The answer is to take advantage of parallelization (using many computers at once) to dramatically shorten this computational time. Many of us have heard of the Human Genome Project that recently completed a map of all human genes. In order for that information to be useful, scientists seek to understand how the proteins that those genes code for are formed in a process called protein folding. It is the shape of proteins that determine their bio-chemical properties. Knowledge of protein folding could, one day, be used in dramatic treatments of all diseases.

To contribute to this admirable task is quick and painless. Members of Andrax.net "crunch" at two Distributed Computing projects:

The Grid.org: Team Andrax at Grid.org Projects at WCG: Cancer; currently awaiting newer HPF projects

The World Community Grid: Team Andrax at WCG Projects at WCG: Cancer HPF FAAH

Please follow the links to learn about what UD.org and the World Community are doing in research. I am happy to answer any questions. Obviously, Nate can too. He is also a Cruncher!