Caltech scientists build DNA logic circuits that run in a test tube

We've seen DNA logic before (remember the MAYA-II, the DNA computer that could play tic-tac-toe?), but a new variety at Caltech has created a set of circuits that can work in salt water, possibly paving the way for cell-based computers. The researchers created a small series of circuits and included gates to perform all the binary logic functions: AND, OR, and NOT. Each gate, a set of DNA strands, receives DNA molecules as input and spits out different ones as output. They've succeeded in building 12 gates in a cascade five layers deep -- pretty simple compared to your average microchip, but nonetheless pretty impressive. Ok Caltech, we'll let your computer partner up with MAYA-II and we'll take 'em both on in a game of competitive Sudoku, how's that?

[Owen V @ Dec 9th 2006 2:42AM]

how fast can this process get? even the fastest DNA copying enzymes work at only a few thousand bases per second. nowhere near the 2-3 billion cycles per second that today's average chip runs at.

[jay.viz @ Dec 9th 2006 3:02AM]

Maybe they're planning on using it to solve embarrassingly parallel computational problems?

[Eddie @ Dec 9th 2006 4:13AM]

The idea is that it's organic, and can thus be used a lot more freely inside the human body someday.

[Marcus @ Dec 9th 2006 11:46PM]

The idea _isn't_ that it's organic and can be used in a body... quite far from it. You wouldn't put something like this in your body. There'd be too much risk introducing its DNA into a complex organism like us.

The benefit would be that you could do (as jay.viz mentioned) embarrassingly parallel computations. You could just grow this stuff in a big vat. You could make trillions of little computational units very quickly, much faster and with higher quality than current processors. The hard part is then assembling the pieces.

Not that I actually think that you'll see organic computing coming to our desks anytime soon...

[Tycho Bradley @ Dec 9th 2006 10:33AM]

Mmmm, biotechnology. I've been hoping for something like this.

[Eddie @ Dec 12th 2006 1:53AM]

Higher quality? What in God's name are you talking about? What does that even mean?

A modern processor can compute as fast, if not much faster, then a "big vat," and would also be much more cost effective, being that the tech. already exists.

I think your point is pointless. I don't think such a thing would ever exist, and i don't think it's what it's meant for.

If this ever goes into use at all, I think it will happen as i mentioned in my original statement, a few days ago.