Sony and Standford University have announced that the PS3 will be able to participate in a worldwide cancer grid research program titled Cure@PS3, due the the awesome computing power found inside the console's revolutionnary chip.

Distributed computing, or "Grid computing", "...breaks down complex computing problems into small steps that can be solved in parallel by thousands or even millions of machines at once. ", according to Wired.

This means that when you leave your PS3 on, it will crunch down formulas and numbers pertaining to cancer research, and send the info back to a master computer. Says electro^plankton: "...To put that into perspective, lets just say the PS3 sells as many units as the PS2's has sold to date. That's over 60 million PS3's number crunching away, far more powerful than any super computer at any facility."

I often dream of getting me one of these babies when they get out, but their reported december launch price of 600$ makes me reconsider. BUT NOW THAT I KNOW PS3s CAN HELP SOLVE CANCER, MAN! Maybe I can find a kind and generous spot in my heart.

(Thanks electro^plankton!)

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