Technion and Scripps have developed the world's first biological computer composed of DNA molecules on a gold-coated chip, which can accept as many as one billion programs
Thursday, February 09, 2012: US scientists have developed the world's first 'biological computer' composed entirely of DNA molecules constructed on a gold-coated chip, which can accept as many as one billion programs and can decipher images encrypted on DNA chips.
The Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) and a team from Scripps Research Institute in California have developed the biological computer. In the research, when suitable software was applied to the biological computer, the scientists found that it could decrypt, separately, fluorescent images of Scripps Research Institute and Technion logos. This is the first experimental demonstration of a molecular cryptosystem of images based on DNA computing, say the scientists led by Prof Ehud Keinan. "In contrast to electronic computers, there are computing machines in which all four components are nothing but molecules," says Keinan. "For example, all biological systems, and even entire living organisms, are such computers. Every one of us is a bio-molecular computer, that is, a machine in which all four components are molecules "talking" to one another in a logical manner."
The world's first biological computer integrates complex biological molecules in form of hardware and software in these devices. These biological molecules activate one another to carry out some predetermined chemical work, says Keinan. The computer uses molecules for both input and output. For input, a molecule undergoes specific, predetermined changes, following a specific set of rules (software); the output of this chemical computation process is another well-defined molecule.
The biological computer is "built" by combining chemical components into a solution in a tube. Various small DNA molecules are mixed in solution with selected DNA enzymes and ATP. The latter is used as the energy source of the device, reports TOI.
The results are published this week in the Journal of the American Chemical Society by Prof. Ehud Keinan. "An equally significant breakthrough is the incorporation of chips as an integral part of the computer," he says.
Thursday, February 09, 2012: US scientists have developed the world's first 'biological computer' composed entirely of DNA molecules constructed on a gold-coated chip, which can accept as many as one billion programs and can decipher images encrypted on DNA chips.
The Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) and a team from Scripps Research Institute in California have developed the biological computer. In the research, when suitable software was applied to the biological computer, the scientists found that it could decrypt, separately, fluorescent images of Scripps Research Institute and Technion logos. This is the first experimental demonstration of a molecular cryptosystem of images based on DNA computing, say the scientists led by Prof Ehud Keinan. "In contrast to electronic computers, there are computing machines in which all four components are nothing but molecules," says Keinan. "For example, all biological systems, and even entire living organisms, are such computers. Every one of us is a bio-molecular computer, that is, a machine in which all four components are molecules "talking" to one another in a logical manner."
The world's first biological computer integrates complex biological molecules in form of hardware and software in these devices. These biological molecules activate one another to carry out some predetermined chemical work, says Keinan. The computer uses molecules for both input and output. For input, a molecule undergoes specific, predetermined changes, following a specific set of rules (software); the output of this chemical computation process is another well-defined molecule.
The biological computer is "built" by combining chemical components into a solution in a tube. Various small DNA molecules are mixed in solution with selected DNA enzymes and ATP. The latter is used as the energy source of the device, reports TOI.
The results are published this week in the Journal of the American Chemical Society by Prof. Ehud Keinan. "An equally significant breakthrough is the incorporation of chips as an integral part of the computer," he says.
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