With Sony’s Folding@Home Beta App, Certain Xperia Phones Can Now Help Cure Diseases Overnight

Sometimes proteins don’t fold correctly, leading to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Unfortunately, the process occurs so quickly that it’s difficult for scientists to observe. A lab led by Dr Vijay Pande at Stanford University developed a way to slow the process down in a simulator, but it requires a good deal of processing power. Instead of relying on a super computer, the team created a way to utilize a network of devices all volunteering spare processing time.

Here’s where you come in. The lab has worked with Sony since 2007 to get consumers involved using their PlayStation 3s. Now the company is taking the software mobile, bringing it in a beta form to certain Xperia phones: the Xperia Z series, as well as the Xperia T3, T2 Ultra, M2 Aqua and C3.