Foldit Newsletters

Started by agcohn821

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter November 13: Huge Update Coming Soon!

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with your weekly Foldit update.

Solutions from This Week's Puzzles

(Disclaimer: This is not scientific feedback; these solutions are not officially endorsed by the Foldit scientists.)

Puzzle 1912: Designable Linker: Coronavirus Spike Binder

Puzzle 1913: MERS-CoV Binder Design: Round 3

Recipe of the Week

Want to play around with the new sliders? Try my modification of Blue Fuse! This quick recipe performs some shakes and wiggles between modifying sliders of your choosing, like clashing, hydrogen bonding, packing, and hiding subscores. And if you're curious to get into writing your own recipes, try opening this one up and tweaking the values, it's a pretty simple recipe!

Player of the Week

A quick shoutout to Beany for being a friendly voice in chat! Beany is new to folding as of May, so if you see them online, be sure to give them a friendly Foldit welcome!

Updates from the Developers

This week we saw a lot of changes coming into the developer preview, or "devprev" of Foldit! Here's a quick breakdown of everything to look out for as this preview gets ready to be released!

Bands have new colors!

Rubber bands are now purple only when they are 3.5 Angstroms long (the default length for rubber bands and the best length for backbone-backbone bonds). At 2.0 Angstroms (the best length for sidechain hydrogen bonds and disulfide bridges), rubber bands are green. Otherwise, they're orange. Bands also change color slightly based on their strength so that you can easily tell bands of different strengths apart.

No recipes? No problem!

If your Cookbook is too empty, you now have a Cookbook Starter Pack! Run this pack to download a bunch of useful recipes! We also added a few new recipe functions, like Ideal SS and the ability to tell whether a band was made by a recipe or a human.

All the options!

The options menu received a huge overhaul! Not only is it prettier, but there are new settings for band preferences and sliders to adjust volume and font size! Even the hotkeys got an update: you can now bind recipes and the Rama Map to hotkeys!

Oh, we were holding it upside down

By popular demand, we have reversed the default camera zoom direction and switched the right mouse button and middle mouse button camera controls. You can change this back in the options menu if you prefer the old controls.

Unlimited talk and text

Text boxes now support text selection and undo/redo like modern text editors! The chat window has also been upgraded in a bunch of ways.

A full list of all of the new features is available here. We hope you enjoy this huge update!

Known Issues

If you discover a bug not on this list, please let us know!

*The notifications panel is not displaying properly
*The new importance sliders cannot be clicked to reset their value
*The puzzle name is not clickable
*Some options are not being saved properly

Want to try the developer preview of the latest updates and be a beta tester? In your Foldit files, open options.txt and change "update_group":"main" to "update_group":"devprev". Don't forget to let us know about any bugs you find! We always welcome feedback of any kind! Keep your eyes and ears out for more updates, something just as big might be coming soon… ;)

Until next time, happy folding!

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter November 20: A Breeze with DLPs

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with your weekly Foldit update.

Solutions from This Week's Puzzles

(Disclaimer: This is not scientific feedback; these solutions are not officially endorsed by the Foldit scientists.)

Puzzle 1915: Designable Linker: Coronavirus Spike Binder

This week saw a return of DLPs, or Designable Linker Puzzles. In this puzzle, you need to design a protein that links two separate binder proteins. To help you get a better idea of what makes a good linker, I've arranged an entire gallery for you. This gallery ranges in scores from top-scoring (35,000+ points) all the way to the back of the leaderboards, in descending order. What patterns do you notice about high-scoring designs? How do they arrange their secondary structures, or make hydrogen bond networks, or use hydrophobics to hold their linker together?

Player of the Week

Lately we've been seeing a good hustle from Enzyme of the Gargleblasters, coming in second place for the last two DLPs and grabbing the #1 spot on MERS-Cov Binder Design Round 3. Say hi to Enzyme if you see them in chat!

Today’s Master Folding Tips

Beginner: Just finished the tutorial and not sure what to do? Try joining a group and evolving a solution! The Beginner puzzles are good practice, but if you really want to fold like a pro, check out what other people are making and try to make designs like theirs.

Intermediate: Don't be afraid to share what you have and try something totally different! You'll learn much faster by doing the early to mid game repeatedly instead of spending the whole week in the late game.

Expert: Want to earn favor with the scientists? Right now, we just need a lot of different designs that meet our metrics demands! Try challenging yourself to see how many unique designs you can share with us that all earn the full metrics bonuses.

Looking to learn more about Designable Linker Puzzles? Come to neilpg628's office hours tomorrow (11/21) at 10am PT / 18:00 GMT!

Until next time, happy folding!

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter November 27: Thanks!

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with your weekly Foldit update. Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it this week. We're thankful that all of you volunteer your time to contribute to scientific discovery!

This week we also made a big announcement: in the new year, we'll be rolling out a new website and switching to only Lua V2 recipes. So if you have GUI or Lua V1 recipes that you like, now is the time to port them over! Check out the news post for resources on how to do this conversion.

Solutions from This Week's Puzzles

(Disclaimer: This is not scientific feedback; these solutions are not officially endorsed by the Foldit scientists.)

Puzzle 1918: Designable Linker: Coronavirus Spike Binder

Puzzle 1919: Rosetta Decoy 7

Player of the Week

Congratulations to ZeroLeak7 (aka Ridick051 in chat) for taking the #1 spot in Puzzle 1918! Catch them chatting up #global or posting memes in #veteran. Thanks ZeroLeak for being part of the Foldit family!

Today’s Master Folding Tips

Beginner: Try using the Blueprint tool for drafting your designs!

Intermediate: Sometimes Ideal SS is way too harsh for cleaning up helices, as it'll just completely warp everything out of place. Instead, one of my favorite ways for gently making helices is to band every residue in a helix to the residues 3 and 4 segments away from it. Because helices turn every 3.6 residues, this banding technique nudges them into the correct helical shape gradually and keeps them there. Jeff101's makehelix recipe can help you do this automatically, too!

Expert: Check out this preprint article! And then think about trying some more valines in your core ;)

Need a GUI recipe converted for you? Send an email to mail.fold.it@gmail.com with a link to the recipe you'd like converted!

Until next time, happy folding!

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter December 4: A Bit of a Bind

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with your weekly Foldit update. This week we've noticed some performance issues with the game, and we appreciate your patience as we work on making improvements! Expect some fixes and new features coming soon!

Solutions from This Week's Puzzles

(Disclaimer: This is not scientific feedback; these solutions are not officially endorsed by the Foldit scientists.)

Puzzle 1920: MERS-CoV Binder Design: Round 5

Puzzle 1921: Designable Linker: Coronavirus Spike Binder

Player of the Week

I'm delighted to welcome back Thunk to the Foldit community! Say hi to xem if you see xem in chat!

Today’s Master Folding Tips

Beginner: The automated tools are fun for getting points, but the overall shape is more important! Try comparing your designs to the proteins shared in these newsletters to understand what a good design looks like and how your protein's shape can be better.

Intermediate: Measure twice, cut once! Before you jump into a design, try planning it out. How many segments do you have to work with? What will your secondary structure be? Try sketching it out on paper first, then planning your secondary structure using the Blueprint tool before cutting and moving your pieces where you want them to be.

Expert: Try challenging yourself to a Foldit speedrun! Give yourself one hour to make a design, then share it with scientists and post a screenshot of your results to the Veteran chat to share it with the community!

Have a question for a developer? One of our lead developers, jflat06, will be holding Office Hours in #veteran chat on Sunday 12/6 at 1 PM PST (21:00 UTC). See you there!

Until next time, happy folding!

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter December 11: As Floppy as a Potato Pancake

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with your weekly Foldit update.

Solutions from This Week's Puzzles

(Disclaimer: This is not scientific feedback; these solutions are not officially endorsed by the Foldit scientists.)

Puzzle 1923: MERS-CoV Binder Design: Round 6

Puzzle 1924: Designable Linker: Coronavirus Spike Binder

These designs seem okay, but watch out for loose links! I'm no scientist, but I've circled in red what I think might be problems for binding – if the only connection to the target is a loose loop, the protein will just flop all over the place! Imagine giving all of these designs a vigorous shake: which ones do you think will hold their shape, and which will bend or snap?

Recipe of the Week

It's Hanukkah this week, so here's a recipe for making potato latkes! And while you're enjoying some good fried food, you can run ZeroLeak7's QuakeR with mutate for binders. L'chaim!

Player of the Week

Welcome back REDing! We're happy to have you folding with us again, and I'm sure Team China is happy to have you back as well. Good luck!

Today’s Master Folding Tips

Beginner: Not sure how to start a design? Check out this guide video by Susume!

Intermediate/Expert: Make sure your binders have good packing! Use lots of hydrophobics everywhere your binder might touch the target to ensure a good stick!

Missed this month's lab report? Check it out here!

Until next time, happy folding!

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter December 18: Snow Day!

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with your weekly Foldit update. It's finally winter for Foldit, and you know what that means: time to make snowflakes! A new snowflake puzzle will be coming soon so you can make some symmetrical protein snowflakes. Be sure to click "Share with Scientists" to send us your creations! Afterward, the Foldit team will pick our favorites and feature them on the front page!

Solutions from This Week's Puzzles

(Disclaimer: This is not scientific feedback; these solutions are not officially endorsed by the Foldit scientists.)

Puzzle 1926: MERS-CoV Binder Design: Round 7

Puzzle 1927: Designable Linker Puzzle: Coronavirus Spike Binder

Recipe of the Week

Looking for something sweet for the holidays? When I make sugar cookies, I do something like this but with an extra 1/4 cup of flour, 1 more egg, and twice as much butter (and maybe a little extra salt to taste). Whatever you decide to bake, don't forget to share pics with us on the Discord! And while you're selecting a cookie to make, try selecting bands with this utility recipe!

Player of the Week

This week's top folder is Mike Lewis of the Gargleblasters! Mike was the #1 Evolver on the last two Designable Linker puzzles, and had their work featured in the Design of the Month! Great job Mike!

Today’s Master Folding Tips

Beginner: Not sure what a good protein looks like? Check out the various galleries on the Foldit wiki! Experts are always posting their solutions for you to observe and learn from.

Intermediate: Having trouble fixing an unideal loop? Try temporarily re-assigning an adjacent helix/sheet segment to a loop so that a local wiggle can try different angles! Don't forget to freeze the first segment of each secondary structure on either side so that you're not wiggling everything.

Expert: This week Susume shared an interesting paper on pi stacking with tryptophan in the Foldit Discord #science channel. Check it out here!

Good luck with your snowflakes, and as always, thanks for your contributions to science!

Until next time, happy folding!

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter December 25: Merry Christmas!

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with your weekly Foldit update. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! If, like me, you aren't Christian, then happy Friday!

Solutions from This Week's Puzzles

(Disclaimer: This is not scientific feedback; these solutions are not officially endorsed by the Foldit scientists.)

Puzzle 1930: Designable Linker Puzzle: Coronavirus Spike Binder

Puzzle 1929: Two-sided Interface Design

Video of the Week

Check out Bruno Kestemont's guide to designing a linker! Bruno says: at the start, don't look at the score, only look at the structure, and try to satisfy all of the objectives. Then you can start with recipes, always making sure that your objectives are still okay. Bruno recommends running Quickfix or JET after drafting a design like this!

Bruno is one of our top expert folders! If you see him in chat, thank him for the guide!

Player of the Week

A warm Foldit welcome to maithra (aka kcmolnar) who has been asking wonderful questions in chat! Maithra just started two months ago, and already they've taken the top 25 in puzzle 1929! Go maithra!

Art of the Week

Christmas Tree by Formula350

Today’s Master Folding Tips

Check out the <a href="https://fold.it/portal/node/2010984>"How to Foldit"</a> blog series starting up this week! There's tons of stuff for newbs and pros alike, so be sure to give it a read!

Have happy and safe holidays! And don't forget to try out the Snowflake Challenge!

Until next time, happy folding!

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter January 8: From 2020 to 2021

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with a special weekly Foldit update. Last week we were out celebrating the new year so that today we could bring you our 2020 year in review with a look-ahead to what you can expect in 2021! A lot happened this year for Foldit! Despite the many, many things terrible with 2020, Foldit saw some great improvements this year, such as:

  • Our first full year of Lab Reports
  • A bunch of new features, UI improvements, and general quality-of-life changes
  • TONS of bugfixes

Plus, all of this news!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

  • Foldit Educational Mode is announced to the scientific community with a Publication

October

November

December

2021

What great things can we expect in the upcoming year? Of course, I can't make any promises, as all of this is subject to change, but here are some things the Foldit team is thinking about:

  • A new website with a ton of improvements
  • A new practice mode for beginner to intermediate folders
  • Some major changes might be coming to the tutorials
  • We hear your complaints about the UI and we're thinking about how we can make the interface better
  • Even more bug fixes!!
  • We're investigating some major backend code improvements to make development smoother and performance better

As always, thanks so much for being a part of this community and contributing to science. Here's to a great new year!

Until next time, happy folding!

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter January 15: Back to School

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with your weekly Foldit update. Keep an eye out for the Snowflake Challenge results next week!

Solutions from This Week's Puzzles

(Disclaimer: This is not scientific feedback; these solutions are not officially endorsed by the Foldit scientists.)

Puzzle 1938: Symmetric Tetramer Design: H-Bond Networks

Puzzle 1940: Revisiting Puzzle: Rosetta Decoy 14

Player of the Week

It's not often that someone gets Player of the Week twice, but leejunil06 (aka cjddig) has earned it! If you're interested in Foldit's Educational mode, they've made a bunch of tutorial videos for it!, Especially if you're a student who's been struggling with primary structure, these videos are for you!

Today’s Master Folding Tips

I can tell if you're reading this that you want to learn more about how to get good at Foldit. Check out our latest blog post series, "How to Foldit"! Part 3 of 10 has just been released, with a new part coming out every week. This week we're looking at your tools of the trade. Whether you're a noob or pro, there's something to learn in this post!

Got a question? Bring it to the next Office Hours with Dr. horowsah on Sunday the 17th at 17:00 GMT!

Until next time, happy folding!

agcohn821 Staff Lv 1

Newsletter January 22: WE FIXED BANDS

Hey folders!

Dev Josh here with your weekly Foldit update. Great news! We were able to make some huge performance increases, including speeding up banding by like 4000%. We're continuing to look at performance issues and make Foldit smooth as silk. Enjoy!

Solutions from This Week's Puzzles

(Disclaimer: This is not scientific feedback; these solutions are not officially endorsed by the Foldit scientists.)

Puzzle 1941: Symmetric Tetramer Design: H-Bond Networks

Puzzle 1942: Designable Linker: Coronavirus Spike Binder

Recipe of the Week

Now that we're in the dead of winter, here's a hearty beef stew recipe to keep you warm. And while you're away enjoying that stew, let ZeroLeak7's AFK3.5Fast do your folding for you! That's a delicious win-win.

Player of the Week

A big congratulations to ichwilldiesennamen! Despite only starting in March, this competitive folder quickly rose through the ranks to become the global #1 soloist! Herzliche Glückwünsche!

Today’s Master Folding Tips

Check out Part 4 of How to Foldit! This week we're covering tools for refinement. If you were around in February when I was streaming, you know how badly I needed these tools. This post will help you learn how to use them better than I ever could.

Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can stay up-to-date on the latest Lab Reports and guide videos!

Until next time, happy folding!