To suggest topics or sites for Web Watch, please visit http://www.physicstoday.org/suggestwebwatch.html. Compiled and edited by Charles Day
Predicting a protein’s shape from its sequence of amino acids is one of the toughest and most important problems in science. Most attempts to solve it involve a combination of physical insight and computational brute force. The online game Foldit introduces another element: human intuition. The game challenges players to solve protein-folding problems and collects the results. Any shortcuts the players divine could end up in new, faster protein-folding algorithms.
Should Australia build nuclear power stations to meet its growing demand for energy? To help answer that question, a group of physicists at the University of Melbourne has created nuclearinfo.net. Without taking sides, the website aims to ensure that Australians and anyone else understand the risks and benefits of both using and not using nuclear power.
Every year the American Physical...
