Communications and Media, Research Paper Example

The article “Foldit Gamers Solve Riddle of HIV Enzyme within 3 Weeks” has been written by Michael J. Coren, a San Francisco-based journalist as well as co-founder of the newsroom and multimedia production company MajorPlanet Studios. In this article, Coren reports how a combination of powerful computing technology and savvy gamers have been helping scientists solve riddles that remained mystery for years. The article mentions a gaming company named Foldit (Foldit) whose game challenges gamers to solve puzzles about how proteins fold. The gamers and researchers have together already authored four papers in scholarly journals. Their latest triumph has been to solve the structure of a protein-sniping enzyme critical for reproduction of the AIDS virus which should help towards finding cure for AIDS (Coren, 2011). The strength of the article is that it shows how the computing technology has increased the pace of progress in sciences including medical sciences. The article also demonstrates that technology itself alone is not sufficient to help solve complex problems because computers are still unable to replicate the intuitive and creative potential of human brain. Another strength of the article is that the title is informative and gives clear clues as to what the article is about. The weakness of the article is that the language used requires some knowledge of scientific concepts such as enzymes and proteins and may be difficult for an average person to understand.

Mr. Coren is a major contributor to major publications such as Fast Company and Foreign Policy and usually reports on the intersection of science, economics, and the environment. Coren also worked with CNN.com as the science and environment producer (Fast Company). As far as the credibility of the author is concerned, Mr. Coren has worked for CNN as a science and environment producer and also writes for Fast Company which often reports on entrepreneurs and innovative companies. Mr. Coren may not have an academic background in biology or medical sciences but the author has written articles on scientific topics in the past. In addition, Mr. Coren has also provided specific information on the scientific journal in which the research paper detailing the role of gamers in solving the structure of the structure of a protein-sniping enzyme critical for reproduction of the AIDS virus has been published, making it possible to verify the scholastic source. Another reason that gives credibility to Mr. Coren’s article is that it was accepted by the Scientific American which has established itself as a reliable source of science-related news and articles and was the winner of the 2011 National Magazine Award for General Excellence (Scientific American).

The purpose of this article was to demonstrate that sometimes solutions to complex scientific problems do not require traditional but innovative approaches. The article also strives to inform the public that advancements in computing technology means many incurable diseases may soon be curable and the pace of scientific progress will increase rapidly. The article gives an example of how the structure of the enzyme responsible for AIDS was solved in only three weeks with the help of the gamers. The article also tries to convince the public that one doesn’t need to have a scientific background in order to play a role on scientific progress because complex issues often require wide variety of strengths including creativity and out-of-the-box thinking as Foldit has proved. The one issue with the article is that it seems to have been targeted at Scientific American’s regular readers that may already have some scientific background or familiarity of scientific concepts and may be difficult to understand for an average person. The article would have been greatly improved had the writer included some drawings or taking the effort to give a little background into concepts such as enzymes. The author also doesn’t describe the shortcomings of this approach which may help the reader better evaluate the potential of gaming in solving complex scientific problems.

 References

Coren, M. J. (2011, September 20). Foldit Gamers Solve Riddle of HIV Enzyme within 3 Weeks. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=foldit-gamers-solve-riddle&WT.mc_id=SA_emailfriend

Fast Company. (n.d.). Michael J. Coren. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.fastcompany.com/user/michael-j-coren

Foldit. (n.d.). The Science Behind Foldit. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://fold.it/portal/info/science#rah

Scientific American. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/