DNA Could Be Basis for Power Computing

[MemorY]

It almost sounds too fantastic to be true, but a growing amount of research supports the idea that DNA, the basic building block of life, could also be the basis of a staggeringly powerful new generation of computers.

like it ? Yes No

What these researchers are essentially trying to do is control, predict and understand life itself.

i'd like some opinions on this topic .....bad ways this can be used ...good ways this can be used .....very interersting article ...

[Zonewalker]

its interesting and I know some places have been researching using protein instead of DNA as a basis for computers for a few years now. Many of the same problems noted in the article apply to protein chips as well. To quote the article

One problem is that setting up DNA computers and extracting results from them can take days, sometimes weeks. Perhaps a bigger obstacle is controlling biological developments to generate accurate calculations. DNA doesn't always behave like it's expected to.

and these two things are MAJOR problems, getting DNA reactions to happen in milliseconds or less just isn't going to happen (or if its possible it's not going to happen anytime soon). And as for the behaviour of DNA or proteins... well its harder to control than you might think. Having said that this technology could very very useful for long term storage as it would be possible to have huge amounts of 'memory' in a small space.

The only thing I always worry about with this kind of technology is... just supposing you get a protein or DNA chip to work fast enough so that it can be used to augment your own mental processes... so we have people with smart chips put into their brains and used to carry data, increase brain capacity etc (analogous to the premise in Johnny Mnemonic) think of the damage that could be done to your own mind if someone introduces a 'protein computer virus' - doesn't bear thinking about if you ask me

Z