Are video games the future of microbiome analyses? Some scientists think so.

Researchers integrated a mini game into the commercially successful video game, Borderlands 3, in which gamers solve puzzles and, in doing so, help analyze sequencing data of gut bacteria.

Since its release, 4 million players have solved 135 million puzzles in the mini game, known as Borderlands Science. Researchers use these gamer-generated solutions to optimize sequencing analysis methods and, ultimately, advance understanding of the human gut microbiome.

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Resources

Featured Study

Sarrazin-Gendron, R., et al. Improving microbial phylogeny with citizen science within a mass-market video game. Nature Biotechnology, April 15, 2024. https://www.nature.com/articles/s4200...

Additional Sources

DNA Puzzles. Am I Really Helping by Playing Borderlands Science? Dnapuzzles.org, April 13, 2023. https://dnapuzzles.org/2020/04/13/am-...

DNA Puzzles. Using Puzzle Solutions to Aerate Alignments. Dnapuzzles.org, Feb. 9, 2023. https://dnapuzzles.org/2021/02/09/usi...

Borderlands. Borderlands 3- Borderlands Science Official Trailer. YouTube, April 7, 2020.    • Borderlands 3 - Borderlands Science O...  

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