Digital Evolution: DNA May Bring Computers to Life

Digital Evolution: DNA May Bring Computers to Life

news.yahoo.com

The transistor revolutionized electronics and computing. Now, researchers have made a biological transistor from DNA that could be used to create living computers.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.livescience.com

Well, here we go! It seems we are getting ever closer to the scenario traditionally limited to the best of science fiction becoming a reality.

Scientists have created biological Boolean circuits, or transcriptors, by carefully calibrating the flow of enzymes along the DNA, opening the door for a wide variety of organisms that could be potentially synthesized as biological computers.

In the article they state exciting new possibilities: "sensing when a cell has been exposed to sugar or caffeine, for example, and storing that information like a value in computer memory. Or telling cells to start or stop dividing depending on stimuli in their environment."

What could become of this? I believe it really opens the door for the imagination to run wild. It is simoultaneously incredibly intriguing and frightening to me. What are some of the thoughts and opinions of the more science orientated members here?

The researchers of this project have also made the "biological logic gates" available to us, the public, in the hopes we may improve on them.

With this and 3D printing, it looks like the next era in technology has arrived.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Just how long does it take the transcriptor to move along the strand of DNA and write data to it?

My DDR3 runs at 17066 mb/s. With a megabyte being 1048576 bytes. 8 bits to a byte.

17066 x 1048576 x 8 = 143159984128 bits/s

Thats some awesome data transfer speed. Static memory or L1 cache is even faster. Unless DNA can compete with that a biological computer using DNA as data storage will be a huge step backwards.

This is both fascinating, yet extremely discomforting information.
All it takes is one miscalculated digit in the DNA code and we may create actual monsters, completely inharmonious with the nature of the Universe, unlike anything we could ever imagine.

Imagine us attempting to alter the DNA of human embryos and made one mistake and what was born is the creatures of myths that have lingered in our legends since ancient times.

All it takes is one miscalculated digit in the DNA code and we may create actual monsters, completely inharmonious with the nature of the Universe, unlike anything we could ever imagine.

reply to post by ABeing


You mean we could create ourself?

As soon as they give it DNA it will spend all it's time hustling another computer. We can't afford to give computers pay for their work and especially not vacation time and other benefits. They are going to create something almost as dangerous as a human.

reply to post by DeliberatusImmemor


I am certain we could create sentient beings, be they artificial or not, that far could surpass our own intelligence and physical attributes as well as our 'evil nature'.
Gives me the creeps.

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
Just how long does it take the transcriptor to move along the strand of DNA and write data to it?

My DDR3 runs at 17066 mb/s. With a megabyte being 1048576 bytes. 8 bits to a byte.

17066 x 1048576 x 8 = 143159984128 bits/s

Thats some awesome data transfer speed. Static memory or L1 cache is even faster. Unless DNA can compete with that a biological computer using DNA as data storage will be a huge step backwards.

edit on 29-3-2013 by PhoenixOD because: (no reason given)

Its computing data which requires LOTS of transistors for its "power", getting the answer to an math equation will be small compared to the data the cpu has to compute to get to it.

Your computer has somthing like half a billion transistors in it, but imagine you could make a cpu that wont overheat with near limitless numbers of 'transistors' since you can just make a bigger 'cpu' from it. Also power use issues i dont understand

reply to post by PatriotGames2


This is not to be confused with A. I.

The living computers still don't have free will.

reply to post by ABeing


I am all for making a better race. We act more like parasites or viruses maybe we can create a race that doesn’t have an innate urge to destroy its host. If that means an organic computer then so be it.

I doubt this will be used for computing, quantum computers are far more likely in my opinion. Where this will be used is in bio engineering.

Transcriptors are the key component behind amplifying genetic logic," lead author Jerome Bonnet, a bioengineer at Stanford University, said in a statement. On their own, these devices do not represent a computer, but they allow for logical operations, such as "if this-then that" commands, one of three basic functions of computers (the other two being storing and transmitting information).

reply to post by RedGolem


I wonder, if i injected some of this clever computer DNA into my hands, will i be able to count on my fingers better?

Originally posted by Biigs

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
Just how long does it take the transcriptor to move along the strand of DNA and write data to it?

My DDR3 runs at 17066 mb/s. With a megabyte being 1048576 bytes. 8 bits to a byte.

17066 x 1048576 x 8 = 143159984128 bits/s

Thats some awesome data transfer speed. Static memory or L1 cache is even faster. Unless DNA can compete with that a biological computer using DNA as data storage will be a huge step backwards.

edit on 29-3-2013 by PhoenixOD because: (no reason given)

Its computing data which requires LOTS of transistors for its "power", getting the answer to an math equation will be small compared to the data the cpu has to compute to get to it.

Your computer has somthing like half a billion transistors in it, but imagine you could make a cpu that wont overheat with near limitless numbers of 'transistors' since you can just make a bigger 'cpu' from it. Also power use issues i dont understand

Anything that computes produces power, the processor in my CPU creates lots of heat because its doing a lot very quickly in a very small space.

If the transcribers in DNA only do a few bits a second of data retrieval of storage they will be practically useless.

Originally posted by Biigs
reply to post by RedGolem

 

I wonder, if i injected some of this clever computer DNA into my hands, will i be able to count on my fingers better?

Only in binary.

reply to post by PhoenixOD


ah sorry what i meant was that you can use far broader ways of harvesting the computed data because you arnt restricted to a electrical bus as a bottle neck, memory holds computed information and other info needed to process more computations and so on.

If you could turn the computed data into electrical signals you could use conventional memory to store and bank the data for complex computations.

We are not talking about a home PC though, we are talking about cray type machines pre-programed to crush huge problems rather than getting more FPS on your favorite shooter.

been saying it for the last 10 years ....we're heading towards a matrix like reality with brain to brain to internet connections.

However, as fast as we've been making breakthroughs towards that reality has been astounding.

You heard it here first. Mark my words. Scientists will discover a part of the brain, whether its microtubules that make up neurons, or a certain protein or some other aspect of the brain, which will allow direct access to the brain without these clumsy wires connected to the surface. Perhaps it might be specific DNA spliced a certain way that allows for direct wifi-like psychic connections.

Mark my words, next 10 years we'll see this.

reply to post by smithjustinb


No you are correct but would a living computer have the capability to develop or be programmed with free will some where down the line?

Things like this usually do not happen all of a sudden. A precedent is set and the ball keeps rolling until we have a completely new idea.

Technology is a tool, and can be used for both positive and negative things. I only worry that as technology excels (and at ever alarming rates, exponentially) humans do not learn and grow with it, implementing ethicical and moral standards that complement the tech. Like, people are too happy that they can get directions to the nearest Jamba Juice but don't care that their phone is essentially a tracking device.

I guess we will see. Profit seems to outweigh any moral concerns now a days especially when it comes to technology.

Originally posted by ABeing
This is both fascinating, yet extremely discomforting information.
All it takes is one miscalculated digit in the DNA code and we may create actual monsters, completely inharmonious with the nature of the Universe, unlike anything we could ever imagine.

you mean George W. Bush?