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originally posted by: pteridine
a reply to: soficrow
The big problem with anything biological is operating range. Usually they are limited in pressure/temperature regimes and would require aqueous solutions or at least solution in alcohols. This means that they can easily be killed by heat, pressure change, or ambient atmosphere. Proteins denature just like meat spoils and I would guess that the lifetime of such a computer may be much shorter than existing. ...
originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: soficrow
I think that it is probable that the people who have been closest to the research have worked out that they are sitting, quite literally, on another component of The Singularity.
Transhumanism is a topic much pored over by science fiction authors. The idea of augmenting the human body with technologies, such that it could be said that the human being themselves has changed from being a human using tools, to being a new classification of being entirely, is not a new idea by any means, but the routes by which it might come about are being laid down in this period in history.
From scientists using rat brain cells to create bio computers, to wetware upgrades for your regular senses, internal connection to the internet via bio-wifi.... There are significant possibilities arising from the bio-computing field. Imagine, technologies grown from ones own stem cells, connecting to pre-existing information pathways in the body and mind, with a minimal chance of rejection. A remote for your car that you activate with your mind, silent group communication without resorting to external hardware, technologies which use your own bodies heat or neuroelectricity to maintain operation, communications, adaptations of the senses, recording devices.... the potential presented by augmentation of the human body, with biocomputers represents a paradigm shift in the making, one which will overshadow mere advancements like the mobile telephone by significant orders of magnitude.
That is the most interesting possibility presented by biocomputers. There are already implantable medical technologies, from heart monitors and pacemakers, to nerve signal interrupters, and a whole myriad of other bits of gear being either used or invented as we speak. But biocomputing, if taken in a certain direction, could literally see the human body melded with consumer level tech to a degree that we may not have believed possible for some considerable time to come.
originally posted by: CranialSponge
a reply to: soficrow
Wait... so prion proteins don't have a die-off timeframe ??
Surely they have a denature rate of some sort, no ?
Or is the die-off rate so slow that it's barely measurable...?
Wow, if that's true.
Learn something new every day.
is the die-off rate so slow that it's barely measurable...?
originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: TrueBrit
Could indeed be directly linked to the singularity given the implications of us somehow being able to transfer our essence/consciousness into a form of biological supercomputer.
Considering our own biological make up is far more synonymous with this type of technology than its silicone counterpart it may facilitate the process far more conveniently.
I do not know if it would be possible to create a distributed system capable of quantum computing, from a large number of connected, implanted devices though. Its an interesting thought.
originally posted by: soficrow
originally posted by: pteridine
a reply to: soficrow
The big problem with anything biological is operating range. Usually they are limited in pressure/temperature regimes and would require aqueous solutions or at least solution in alcohols. This means that they can easily be killed by heat, pressure change, or ambient atmosphere. Proteins denature just like meat spoils and I would guess that the lifetime of such a computer may be much shorter than existing. ...
fyi -
80,000,000 year old protein found in dinosaur bone
Told you they were tough little suckers!
originally posted by: pteridine
originally posted by: soficrow
originally posted by: pteridine
a reply to: soficrow
The big problem with anything biological is operating range. Usually they are limited in pressure/temperature regimes and would require aqueous solutions or at least solution in alcohols. This means that they can easily be killed by heat, pressure change, or ambient atmosphere. Proteins denature just like meat spoils and I would guess that the lifetime of such a computer may be much shorter than existing. ...
fyi -
80,000,000 year old protein found in dinosaur bone
Told you they were tough little suckers!
Yes, I am aware of that. The problem would be in an operating system in solution, not in a dry, petrified state. Consider the book sized computer left in a closed car in Texas or Florida. Water will likely not be the medium and I'd suspect a longer chain alcohol, such as butanol, might be the solvent to prevent hydrolysis. While the promise of Biocomputing seems exciting, the reality is that it will need many more years of work just to see if it can be made into a useful device. There are many problem areas that have to be solved before it can be used and before users will trust that it didn't rot and give them wrong answers. Biology is much more complex than the average reader appreciates and while tough in some areas, it is very delicate in others. One must balance ionic strength, anions [cyanide and sulfide would cause serious problems], pH and then make sure that the electrical connections didn't damage the bio-molecules. Current flows would tend to electrolyze the components as those same connections acted as anodes and cathodes. This is a difficult problem that may well be overtaken by events in the quantum computing world and Biocomputing would then be of historical academic interest.
...Biology is much more complex than the average reader appreciates and while tough in some areas, it is very delicate in others. One must balance ionic strength, anions [cyanide and sulfide would cause serious problems], pH and then make sure that the electrical connections didn't damage the bio-molecules. Current flows would tend to electrolyze the components as those same connections acted as anodes and cathodes.
Prions are highly resistant to disinfectants, heat, ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation and formalin. However, prions can be deactivated by heat, by chemicals and by a combination of heat, chemicals, pressure and time.
Prions can be destroyed through incineration providing the incinerator can maintain a temperature of 900 F for four hours. In an autoclave, prions can be deactivated by using a temperature of 270 F at 21 psi for 90 minutes. If the infectious material is in a solution of sodium hydroxide, deactivation will occur after one hour at 250 F and 21 psi.
A commercial disinfectant called Environ LpH also has been shown to be effective at deactivating prions. Prion disinfection occurs with a 1 percent solution of LpH for 10 hours or with a 10 percent LpH solution for one hour.
Carcasses of infected animals can be deactivated into a sterile alkaline solution using an alkaline hydrolysis digester. This consists of an insulated steam-jacketed stainless steel vessel which operates at up to 70 psi and 300 F into which sodium hydroxide and water is added and heated and continuously circulated. This process degrades proteins into salts of free amino acids and the temperature and alkali concentrations deactivate prions by destroying their peptide bonds.15
originally posted by: soficrow
No - prion proteins do not have a die-off timeframe. Most are incredibly, astoundingly stable. As far as denaturing, even regular autoclaving doesn't "kill" them (yeah, I know, they're not alive) - exposures to extreme temperatures, radiation, acid, etc., generally just cause them to evolve into a new strain.