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Artificial DNA As Software, Artificial Enzymes as Hardware!

ecofriend.org — Japanese have created artificial DNA that could one day be part of green computers running on little or even no power. Data- monitor ’s Ruchi Mallya suggests the University of Toyama’s research could bring to reality a computer that ditches traditional silicon and works on DNA instead.

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  • naveenIBN, on 07/23/2008, -9/+6Is this is how we will get the artificially intelligent computers?
    • MxM111, on 07/23/2008, -0/+10No, those will be naturally intelligent :)
    • DocGlass, on 07/23/2008, -3/+2no, intelligent computers require a system of top down and bottom up communication. DNA is just replacing the silicone, its all just 1's and 0's still.
  • etnuts, on 07/23/2008, -4/+17Optimus Prime?
    • Jeremyz0r, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Correction*: "Helicopter/Scorpion mech-name here".
  • analogkid01, on 07/23/2008, -6/+7I so want to be the first Borg. Only, you know, a better dresser.
  • RealmDown, on 07/23/2008, -2/+27I think we already are. This has already been done on a large scale, and each one of us is a self replicating processor.

    Hmmm. Two mice just came out of the wall and are looking at me funny.

  • LeviTheSmith, on 07/23/2008, -12/+55th
  • s0l0s0ul, on 07/23/2008, -3/+3maybe they wont have to use CG for the terminator after all.
  • Eucolastic, on 07/23/2008, -11/+1GAY!!
  • InThePants, on 07/23/2008, -2/+21Oh my god I love run on sentences they are so exciting and keep the reader in perpetual suspense and I really hope that this DNA stuff works out it would be really awesome and I would feel so much better about using a computer that uses only a fraction of the power my current computer uses, can you imagine how long the battery would last i bet i could watch the matrix five times in a row and not even have to plug the computer in man that would be the best.
  • imjust2purrfect, on 07/23/2008, -2/+9the japanese come up with everything!
    • Ocelot13, on 07/23/2008, -0/+11its cause theyre in the future, duh.
    • Jeremyz0r, on 07/23/2008, -1/+3They make a lot of crazy *****, but they seem to be mass inventing everything as of late.

      (If only they could bring hot anime guys to life) :3
  • trollick, on 07/23/2008, -1/+35Running on little or even no power? Because, as everybody knows, biological organisms do not require energy and operate in violation of most laws of physics.
    • MxM111, on 07/23/2008, -7/+1Theoretically information processing requires infinitely small amount of power... It just will take infinitely long time to do anything.
      I think this is what happens here - very low power consumption - slow biological computer. It will never run on MHz, let alone GHz frequencies.
    • Jeremyz0r, on 07/23/2008, -0/+5@MxM111... I'm glad your comprehension skills are that slow.
    • tweedius, on 07/23/2008, -0/+4MxM111, don't talk about what you don't know about. I've done research on DNA based computers. They require ATP to operate, ATP is the energy source used by cells. Everything needs energy. And you're completely wrong about the amount of information they can process, they can process huge amounts of data. However, the resulting "code" molecules need to be separated, this is just one of the technological hurdles that need to be overcome in order to realize "DNA" based computers. Some scientists doubt that there will ever be a DNA based computer available for general public use. My money is on quantum computing.
  • XternalHD, on 07/23/2008, -10/+3Can it run Crysis?
  • iNezy13, on 07/23/2008, -9/+3THIS is why i'm majoring in biology with a concentration in biomechanics
  • Nicoon, on 07/23/2008, -1/+14"green computers running on little or even no power."

    I think not. There's always some form of energy input if you expect an output. The difference is just that this energy may or may not come from your power outlet.
  • 223Sniper, on 07/23/2008, -3/+2some cool/creepy ***** man! Anyone remember Terminator?
  • poiuytrewq44, on 07/23/2008, -1/+6Well, until the computer "dies" at least. Digital information will then no longer be potentially everlasting, and we'll be restricted to how fast individual molecules can move which, albeit pretty fast, is incomparable to electrons.
    • RealmDown, on 07/23/2008, -2/+1Data is backed up to an alternate note during fluid transfer.
    • poiuytrewq44, on 07/23/2008, -0/+6I don't know why the ***** you're digging me down, DNA breaks down. Period. It requires Telomeres to stay functioning, and there are only a certain amount of these in a system. To make matters worse, you couldn't just add telomerase because that would dilute the system, causing it to run slower because it would take longer for the molecules to bump into their destination.
      • boot20, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2I was about to post something similar, but you said it far better than I could. I've no idea why you are being dugg down.
  • mohamedmansour, on 07/23/2008, -0/+13Where is the "real" article. The research paper that the university has submitted. There is no reference of the real thing. I want to read the actual research document instead of an outsider trying to explain it in his own terms with no reference.
  • dragungundam, on 07/23/2008, -9/+3Buried for inaccuracy
  • a2zb2b, on 07/23/2008, -0/+10National Geographic from 2003:
    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/02 ...
    How Stuff Works apparently knows how a DNA computer will work:
    http://computer.howstuffworks.com/dna-computer1.ht ...
  • ncc74656m, on 07/23/2008, -2/+2Uhh, HG2G?

    Deep Thought designed Earth, a super computer, to determine the question to the answer of life, the universe, and everything.
  • holyreality, on 07/23/2008, -1/+3the next step in mankind's quest to create machines that become sentient and then slaughter and enslave us....
    • MxM111, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1That does not have to be a biological computer, does not it?
      • morepowerr, on 07/23/2008, -0/+0You can flip that you know, With biological cell would men not become more like machines.
  • duckyinc, on 07/23/2008, -1/+2By the time we can produce "green" computers, we will be able to produce far more power than we need.
    • catfoodgood, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Green Paint + Computer = Green Computer. Voila! Now where's your 'unlimited power?'
  • Kazimieras, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1If it is a bio computer, it still would need power. We'd just be feeding our machines rather than giving them power.
    • morepowerr, on 07/23/2008, -0/+0No the ez way to do it would be to make it in to a symbiont working with the current human brain. the brain is still the cpu and memory. The symbiont would be like sticking a usb port card in to a old pc.
  • joenewie, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Heard somthing about this 10 years ago...guess we haven't come that far yet lol
  • RedneckRandy, on 07/23/2008, -0/+8This is the worst article ever. It's like one paragraph and doesn't explain anything at all about how this would work or what the limitations would be. Plus it makes the false claim that it would require no power. Diggers are supposed to be nerds. Why are you guys Digging this? It's crap!!!
  • samuelmcm, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3Sigh...Im still waiting for the Cancer Curing, Memory Enhancing, Chemically Superior Nanotubes.
    • catfoodgood, on 07/23/2008, -1/+0They actually cause cancer, like Asbestos.
      • morepowerr, on 07/23/2008, -0/+0With Nanobots you just have them fix or replace the cancer. heart problem, no problem. 1 shot of pre-programed Nanobots and they go to work. 2 weeks later they die and pass with the rest of you wast. I can see it now male enhancement Nanobots.
        Hair replacement Nanobots. So on.
  • 0Xonox0, on 07/23/2008, -0/+4So could we selectively breed these computers to produce higher quality machines?
  • ivanmarsh, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1So, none of these people have read Ronin by Frank Miller?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronin_%28DC_Comics%29

    Machines shouldn't dream.
  • Ninnux, on 07/23/2008, -2/+1Google synthetic biology. MIT sponsors a consortium on the topic at http://syntheticbiology.org
    They've been looking at this for several years now... at least as far back as when I was in grad school in 2003. Craig Venter's company successfully created synthetic life in the form of a virus a while ago. The Japanese are playing me-too on this folks.
  • Rovalf, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3This article is over saturated with greenness to the point where it obscures the "and that is really cool" part of the article... that we can use microorganisms to solve complex math problems. It tries to tie synthetic biology with greenness... but wait, we already knew biology was pretty green to begin with.
  • MikeSobe, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2Where's the meat to this article? I want to know how this is supposed to work.
  • neoq36, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2Brainiac??
    • covertbadger, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1If that was a pun on ENIAC for first biology-driven general purpose computer, you deserve far more diggs than you've received. I think most people didn't get it.
  • maxhrk, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1'enzymes' hardware might requires foods to keep it run instead of run on volt.

    i am sure enzyme keyboard will eat your hand as soon you touch it! mhmm! watch out if you see keyboard forming its mouth.
  • morepowerr, on 07/23/2008, -1/+0OK now can you get them to work in my brain so i can use the other 89+ % for storage. That way I can remember and recall every thing. And some input software would be nice to. Learn 10 years of med school in 20 mins.

    And bing that were working on that scale now some minibots to repair my body would be nice to.
  • tweedius, on 07/23/2008, -1/+3Read an article about DNA computing. This is old stuff and there is no proof it can ever work to do what the people who want funding for it claim in order to get said funding. Quantum computers however will probably be much more practical before DNA computers could ever work.
  • hwy9nightkid, on 07/23/2008, -1/+2my computer has AIDS! AIDS AIDS AIDS AIDS AIDS
  • polalion, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1One day we will look back to this article and laugh.

    Then we will say, as the laughing slowly dies out, "But seriously, what the ***** were we thinking?"

    Then the Cylons come in and kill us.
  • Redraf, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0I think I saw this in a movie sometime. Right before robots came and destroyed us all.
  • Ryvenn, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2This could be the basis for brain augmenting computers, no need for battery burning metal parts.

    Ghost in the Shell cyberbrain, here I come!
  • php5developers, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Is it possible "laptop that didn’t require batteries"?
  • chubbstar, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1first nueromancer starts coming true... now count zero too!
  • gamebittk, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Living machines?
  •  

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