Stanford University scientists are hoping Play Station 3 gamers will donate their consoles to help find a cure for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

With the next software update for the game console, PS3 owners will be given an option to click an icon for Stanford's "Folding@home" project and download software that the university has designed to help outsource the computing power of the game consoles (which are essentially computers) needed for some of its research.

The software will run "protein folding" simulations, which help researchers understand why proteins sometimes fold incorrectly and mutate into diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Each participating PS3 will periodically download and analyze a chunk of the school's research, and then upload the results. The software, which is due at the end of the month, will run when the PS3 system is not playing games or performing other multimedia tasks.

Downloading the program could be a great learning experience for kids (as well as adults) because they will be able to watch a visual representation of the work done on their game consoles and view a map of consoles participating in the project around the world.

Previously:
Minneapolis couple's laptop found while searching for alien life

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