jflat06 Staff Lv 1
We've just released an update to the developer preview which introduces a new concept to Foldit: Symmetry!
Symmetry in proteins refers to what we call oligomers: proteins that use many identical copies of themselves to bind together and form a "symmetric" complex. We call it "symmetry" because each copy folds the exact same way, and these copies arrange themselves with rotational or translational symmetry.
In the past, Foldit has only been capable of handling what we call monomers, which are not symmetric. With this update, we'll be able to have puzzles on a whole new array of puzzles (as it turns out, most proteins are symmetric!). The best part is, many of these proteins are small, and can be handled by Foldit.
Symmetry in Foldit works like this: you have one copy of the protein that you work on. This is called the independent unit. Around this copy, there are many other 'locked' copies that are symmetric. When you change the independent unit, the other copies will change themselves too.
You are scored on two things: both how well the protein itself forms, and how well it interfaces with itself.
If you're interested in helping to test out symmetry in the developer preview, you can switch versions by going to your Foldit data file folder, and chaning your options file (For more information, look up the FAQ on the website).
Be aware that there almost certainly will be many bugs, and joining the developer preview can cause you to lose saves, have more client crashes, and other issues. That said, we'd appreciate anyone who's willing to help out!
