A fascinating case of succesful citizen science in action, the Eyewire project explores an online game which challenges players to solve 3D puzzles of neurons in a retina. Whereas players do not need any scientific background, through their work they actually reconstruct 3D models of neurons at nanoscale resolution from electron microscopy images. Hence, the ultimate aim of Eyewire is to support neuroscientists in their work to understand the brain's wiring. Eyewire was launched in 2012 and have had contributions by hundreds of thousands of players from around the globe.
SOCIAM's Eyewire project has studied both the motivations of the players participating, as well as how the game's components interact to provide both an enjoyable game for the players and useful data for the researchers.
