Next time you swing by Sanctuary III in Borderlands 3, you’ll have access to a new minigame for free in Tannis’ infirmary. A puzzle game, Borderlands Science provides an arcade experience that allows players to earn unique rewards while simultaneously aiding in the advancement of medical research. Gearbox Software developed the minigame alongside McGill University, Massively Multiplayer Online Science, and The Microsetta Initiative at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Dr. Mayim Bailik, an actor (Big Bang Theory), researcher, and PhD physicist, narrates the following announcement trailer for Borderlands Science, which offers a rundown of the experience and why it exists.
The human body is comprised of trillion of microbes, some are associated with conditions such as autism, obesity, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, allergies, and countless more. Scientists the world over work tirelessly to map these microbes in an effort to better understand them.
In doing so, the hope is that their results will one day culminate in the development of “more sensitive diagnostics and personalized treatments.” Of course, technology typically provides innumerable possibilities when it comes to medicine. Yet, the sheer volume of microbes makes it difficult for computers to effectively analyze them and their intricate inner workings.
Borderlands Science, then, represents a step in a bold, new direction. Essentially, the game will crowdsource each player’s skills, then apply them to the mapping of the human gut’s biome. As a result, medical researches save hours upon hours of time that would’ve otherwise gone into training computer programs to perform the same task.
Borderlands 3 is available to purchase across the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One platforms.
[Source: 2K Games]
