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World Community Grid Forums
Category: Support
Forum: Website Support
Thread: Is this a future project for WCG? |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 9
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trongnguyen_82
Cruncher Joined: Aug 10, 2006 Post Count: 10 Status: Offline |
MCLEAN, VA, Jun 26, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) ----The United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Mars, Incorporated, and IBM Research (NYSE: IBM: 124.58, +1.12, +0.90%) intend to apply their scientific resources to sequence and analyze the entire cocoa genome. Sequencing the cocoa genome is a significant scientific step that will allow more directed breeding of cocoa plants and perhaps even enhance the quality of cocoa, the key ingredient in chocolate. .... Link Is this possibly going to be a new project for WCG?  Trong Nguyen  |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Is there any discernible humanitarian and "not for profit" aspect in this. Improbable to get a nanosecond of my CPU time for sure!
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trongnguyen_82
Cruncher Joined: Aug 10, 2006 Post Count: 10 Status: Offline |
According to another link about this project, the result will be make public, so it might be list as a "not for profit" project:
----------------------------------------Though the project is funded by Virginia-based Mars — the maker of M&Ms, Snickers and other fixtures in American chocolate — its findings will be made public, even to its competitors. Mars says there will be more information to examine than any one company could ever do alone, and that the main reasons for cracking the genome are to combat cocoa pests and disease. About humanitarian, I agree that this project might not be as important and urgent as many of WCG projects such as FAAH, HCC, DDDT... But again, can any CA or tech give us a tip about whether this project will appear on WCG or not?  Trong Nguyen |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
I believe not. Firstly, there has been no mention of it.
Secondly, it doesn't meet the technical requirements for WCG. Thirdly, it doesn't meet the humanitarian requirements for WCG. So, sorry, guys - not going to be crunching chocolate. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Aw. I was all excited today when I saw this in the news. It sounds like a great idea, especially since they are making the results public. All major crops should be publicly sequenced.
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Exar Kun [HoloNet]
Advanced Cruncher France Joined: May 30, 2007 Post Count: 52 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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I'm happy that this project will not be supported by WCG. I love chocolate but ... hey, it's just chocolate ^^
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Thirdly, it doesn't meet the humanitarian requirements for WCG. Ah, but chocolate has powerful medicinal properties that can make grumpy people happy... just ask some of my coworkers what I'm like without my morning coffee and afternoon chocolate treat -- those two items are like a daily dose of HUMANITARIAN AID for both them and me!!!)  |
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Rickjb
Veteran Cruncher Australia Joined: Sep 17, 2006 Post Count: 666 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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"Sequencing the cocoa genome is a significant scientific step that will allow more directed breeding of cocoa plants"
It looks to me like there may be considerable overlap between this and the Rice project, which is also aimed at more directed breeding of plants. Both projects are trying to determine the structure of proteins, specifically the genomic ones in the case of cocoa. Sharing the knowledge gained in developing & using the computer modelling techniques could be of benefit to everybody. And I might be open to the bribe of a free Bar or 2  |
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Sgt.Joe
Ace Cruncher USA Joined: Jul 4, 2006 Post Count: 7849 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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On the serface one might not think of chocolate as a humanitatarian venture, but looking deeper into it would reveal otherwise. Cacao plants only grow within 10 or 15 degrees of the equator. They are grown in a large part by subsidence farmers. I know that in parts of Brazil there has been a devastating fungus which has infected the trees and caused them to wilt and die, making entire regions unable to sustain cacao production. This has had detrimental effects on the economy of those regions and caused environmental damage to those areas which no longer support a formerly thriving species. If better yielding and more disease resistant tress were available, it would enhance the abilities of those tropical economies to flourish and help, in a small way to make life better for the growers of this crop.
----------------------------------------In a larger sense, the availability of the mapping of the genome of most plants and animals in the public domain for the benefit of eveyone is a more laudable goal than keeping this kind of scientific knowledge proprietary for the benefit of only one company. This would promote more competition and hopefully provide more fodder for better and more innovative ideas on how to improve that plant or animal. At the very least it should help enhance traditional breeding techniques. Cheers
Sgt. Joe
*Minnesota Crunchers* |
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