A software uses the domestic computers to try to find a solution in order to stop the progression of the coronavirus. And the good news is that Folding @ Home has apparently found chemical components capable of neutralizing the virus.
Right now in the laboratories, we are witnessing a real marathon. Everyone is trying to find a cure or a vaccine for Covid-19. However, the solution could simply come from the computers we use at home.
A few weeks ago, we were talking about what we could do, each other, to support research on the Coronavirus. We had mentioned Folding @ Home , a small software that installs in the background. And when we don't use his computer (to take care of children for example), he will test millions of protein assemblies to find the combination that could inhibit the virus.
What has happened in recent weeks is hardly believable. Hundreds of thousands of good souls have installed the program on their computers. So that the network now has a colossal power: more than 470 million billion calculations per second. That's twice as much as the most powerful supercomputer in the world. It is even the cumulative power of the 7 largest existing computers. Never seen !
We already know what it could change for researchers?
It will allow us to go much faster. Calculations that would have taken years will be able to be done in a few months or even a few weeks. An IBM supercomputer has already succeeded in isolating 77 chemical components that could prevent the virus from attacking humans. With this additional computing power, we will be able to test them in all conditions and find drugs faster.
So yes, our home computers can help research. And who knows, maybe it will be yours who will find the vaccine, between a series on Netflix and a telework session.
Where can we find this program?
https://foldingathome.org