If you are reading this, you clearly own or have access to a computer. What if you could donate your computer- but only when you aren't using it-- to some of the world's most talented researchers, who would use it to solve some of the world's biggest problems. What if your computer could help researchers find drugs that can treat and cure HIV and dengue fever? Or help develop strains of rice that will help farmers in the developing world?
Well, you can do all of this. And it won't cost you anything, except maybe a couple of cents extra on your electricity bill every month.
The World Community Grid, developed and maintained by IBM, allows researchers to tap into and use your computer's processing power when you aren't using it. For instance, if you leave your computer on all the time, the program would tap in when you go to bed for the night.
All you have to do is download some software and choose to which organizations you would like to "donate" your computer
Donating your free computer time can drastically reduce the number of years it can take these organizations to meet their goals. Some estimate that because of World Community Grid, the time it will take for the Clean Energy Project to produce an affordable solar panel will be reduced from 22 to 2 years.
A little extra processing can go a long way.
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