Researchers fight anthrax with idle computer power

Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A coalition of scientists and technology companies is asking people around the world to use their computers’ extra processing power to help search for a cure for anthrax.

The project follows similar efforts to use "distributed computing" to hunt for extraterrestrial life and a cure for cancer. It is being launched today to help Oxford University researchers find ways to treat anthrax that can no longer be treated by antibiotics.

The project is based on the premise that the average personal computer uses between 13 percent and 18 percent of its processing power at any given time. It employs "peer-to-peer" technology, in which millions of computers can share files over the Internet.

Participants download a screen-saver that runs whenever their computers have resources to spare, and uses that power to perform computations for the project. When the user connects to the Internet, the computer sends data back to a central hub and gets another assignment.

The company that designed the program, United Devices Inc. of Austin, Texas, promises that no personal information on participants’ PCs can be compromised while they take part.

If the project attracts more than 160,000 participants, it can give researchers more computational power than the world’s 10 best supercomputers combined, said United Devices spokesman Andy Prince.

The Oxford scientists want to scan 3.5 billion molecular compounds to see if any can ultimately keep the anthrax toxin from reproducing. The results, which could serve as blueprints for late-stage anthrax drugs, will be turned over to U.S. and British governments, said Graham Richards, the Oxford professor leading the study.

The project is funded by Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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