DNA computer 'calculates square roots' (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Jason Palmer
Science and technology reporter, BBC News

Researchers have shown off a "DNA computer" of unprecedented complexity, which can calculate square roots.

DNA computing uses chemical reactions to solve problems in which a number of DNA strands act as "bits".

The work, reported in Science, required 130 strands of DNA to work in a cascade of programmed chemical changes.

The approach is not designed to rival traditional electronics, but rather to allow computing to occur in biological contexts, perhaps even in the body.

DNA computing was first proposed by Leonard Adelman in 1994, to solve what is known as the "travelling salesman problem" - determining the shortest path that joins a number of geographically separated locations.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13626583

[Poll_Blind]

1. Hopefully, one day two alien scientists will be picking over one of....

...our creations and one will say to the other "My god- this thing- the very cells in this organism are designed to compute! It must have been designed by Gods!"

And the very atmosphere of their world will be blown away by God's unexpected laughter.

Very cool science. It's rather sad that only in the most elegant and complex of our interactions with the natural world does modern man approach something like a symbiosis with nature.

PB

[Vehl]

2. K&R

Fascinating. Thanks for posting

[lonestarnot]

3. Whoa...

[yodermon]

4. So maybe the earth IS a big giant computer.

42!

[jberryhill]

5. And DNA has been used to solve that OTHER "traveling salesman problem"

I never thought that kid looked like me...