Many diseases — such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s to name but two — are the result of a misfolding of proteins which affects their normal functions. Sony and Stanford University have agreed on a collaboration, called Folding@home, in which the power of the PlayStation 3 will be used to perform computer simulations of the folding of proteins. This is the first instance of a game helping research to better understand and treat those crippling conditions.

Kids aiming to persuade their parents to buy the PlayStation 3 have some new ammunition — donating their PS3′s down time to researchers could help cure Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or mad cow disease.

Source: CNN