CCP Games, the studio behind EVE Online, announced today that it is launching Project Discovery: Phase Four. The citizen science program has seen the game’s community participate in various forms of research — in Phase Three, gamers participated in COVID-19 research. Now players have the chance to participate in cancer and immune system research. CCP first revealed this expansion last September during EVE Fanfest.
Project Discovery is a minigame within EVE Online where players would complete analytical tasks using real world datasets. In Phase Four, CCP has added new visualizations and advanced analysis techniques, as well as more complex challenges to perform. This includes examining “complex blood samples using new X/Y axis density curves, drawing polygons around cell clusters in flow cytometry data.” The data assists AI trained on the data, allowing scientists to better understand immune system reactions. Players who participate earn exclusive in-game rewards.
Bergur Finnbogason, EVE Online’s creative director, said in a statement, “Project Discovery’s fourth phase marks a major milestone for citizen science by contributing to the cure for one of the world’s most deadly diseases. The EVE community has a proven track record of helping scientists advance research for important causes. We are calling gamers from all walks of life to join our capsuleers in the fight against cancer.”
Dr. Ryan Brinkman, Distinguished Scientist at BC Cancer Agency and University of British Columbia, added, “The collective effort of EVE Online players has produced a dataset unparalleled in quality and size. In this new era of Artificial Intelligence, this data is pivotal in developing groundbreaking tools for unprecedented scientific discoveries. We eagerly anticipate sharing these contributions with the scientific community.”
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