I love the idea behind this. If you don't know what he World Community Grid is, check it out here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_GridSpecifically, check out some of of their completed projects (using donated CPU power)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid#Completed_projectsGO Fight Against Malaria Project
The mission of the GO Fight Against Malaria project (launched November 16, 2011) is to discover promising drug candidates that could be developed into new drugs that cure drug resistant forms of malaria. The computing power of World Community Grid will be used to perform computer simulations of the interactions between millions of chemical compounds and certain target proteins, to predict their ability to eliminate malaria. The best compounds will be tested by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute of La Jolla, California, U.S.A. and further developed into possible treatments for the disease.
In the latest status report, published on November 2012 and available here, the scientists reported that several compounds had been found to inhibit the virus activity. 20 compounds were ordered, 19 actually arrived, of which 3 were not soluble. From the remaining 16, 7 inhibited Mtb InhA(Mycobacterium tuberculosis). The best hit displayed an IC50 value of approximately 40 micro-Molar. The discovery of this compound is important because of the drug resistant superbugs of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
On May 22, it was announced that the project was entering the final stages and should finish soon.
Drug Search for Leishmaniasis
Launched September 7, 2011 - It is spearheaded by the University of Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia, with assistance from researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. The mission is to identify potential molecule candidates that could possibly be developed into treatments for Leishmaniasis. The extensive computing power of World Community Grid will be used to perform computer simulations of the interactions between millions of chemical compounds and certain target proteins. This will help find the most promising compounds that may lead to effective treatments for the disease.
Influenza Antiviral Drug Search
Main article: Influenza Antiviral Drug Search
The mission of the Influenza Antiviral Drug Search project is to find new drugs that can stop the spread of an influenza infection in the body. The research will specifically address the influenza strains that have become drug resistant as well as new strains that are appearing. Identifying the chemical compounds that are the best candidates will accelerate the efforts to develop treatments that would be useful in managing seasonal influenza outbreaks, and future influenza epidemics and even pandemics.[63] Phase 1 of The Influenza Antiviral Drug Search project has already finished on October 22, 2009. Now the researchers are performing post-processing on the results from Phase 1 and are preparing for Phase 2.
What they're doing is really going to benefit humanity. If ONE project succeeds, we are better off. Your children are better off. Here's a YouTube video I found explaining how to register for WCG -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41rR-B5c_tk - It was apparently designed for grandparents and the computer illiterate to use and follow.
That could be good though! For us too. Talking your grandparents into participating in cryptocurrency mining and trading isn't really going to happen. Telling them about the World Community Grid, simply setting it as their screensaver.. can earn you Ripple. I think anyway. Hook it up to your ripplelabs account, set it up on their computer, they save the world with spare computer cycles and we win internet money guy.
Whatever. Maybe I'm full of shit. I'm going back to mining RonPauls.
