Crowdsourcing Game Helps Diagnose Infectious Diseases

Lucas123 writes "Researchers at UCLA have created an online crowdsourcing game designed to let players help doctors in key areas of the world speed the lengthy process of distinguishing malaria-infected red blood cells from healthy ones. So far, those playing the game have collectively been able to accurately diagnose malaria-infected blood cells within 1.25% of the accuracy of a pathologist performing the same task (PDF). The researchers hope that users of the game can help eliminate the high cost and sometimes poor accuracy of diagnosis in areas like sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria accounts for some 20% of all childhood deaths."

Comments

Re:Didn't know a DDX could have the word balls in

[Anonymous Coward]

Once the troll population reaches sufficent levels:

"I have a sore throat and a slight fever."
*evaluating*
*You have AIDS, leprosy, and lupus.*

Re:Slashdotted-ish.

[Anonymous Coward]

Likewise.
 
Way to go, /. You just let tens of thousands of people with malaria die, you insensitive clods.