Bacteria computer is good at math, even those pesky story problems

Scientists have successfully developed a computer out of E. coli bacteria (again), which has managed to solve the Burnt Pancake Problem -- at least in a limited form. The problem involves creating a golden-side-up stack of pancakes out of all different size pancakes, each of which is burned one side, with the largest pancake on the bottom tapering up to the smallest on top. You can only use a spatula to flip a top section of pancakes, and the math problem is to sort the stack in as few flips as possible. In addition to making regular human mathematicians very hungry, the problem exponentially spirals out of control -- for six pancakes there are 46,080 permutations, for 12 pancakes there are 1.9 trillion. The E. coli computer differs from a regular computer in that it turn each piece of DNA into a simulated pancake, with sections of DNA being flipped to hide from a killer antibiotic if they get the answer right, and killed if they get the answer wrong. With millions of "computers" able to fit in a drop of water, scaling won't be an issue once they figure things out, but for now E. coli can only figure out how to sort two pancakes.

[Thanks, Hraefn]

[Jayden @ May 29th 2008 7:38PM]

This is actually pretty amazing, maybe we can use this technology to actually help cure disease?

[J-Rad @ May 29th 2008 7:40PM]

Since when did pancakes cure disease?

[Shinigami @ May 29th 2008 7:45PM]

Don't know if this helps heal diseases but certainly makes me...yeah, hungry.

Its nice to hear good news, pity that it wasn't "we found a way to cure cancer forever".

[Low Ranked @ May 29th 2008 7:52PM]

Pancakes, or most foods for that matter, will cure the diseases known as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia.

[Reader @ May 29th 2008 8:25PM]

Well anorexia, not bulimia, since no amount of food can cure that.

[cromas @ May 29th 2008 8:36PM]

YOU CAN READ MINDS?!?

[Tim @ May 29th 2008 8:59PM]

This wouldn't really be effective research for disease control; the "computer" merely exploits the antibiotics ability to kill a certain strain of e. Coli, in order to form a biological logic gate. based on the summary given here, the main issue seems to be that it is assumed a particular "mutation" will absolutely result in the death of a bacterium. However, as nature so readily demonstrates, it is not often so cut and dry. computing 4 options is a far cry from a contemporary processor. I'm curious what mechanism (perhaps a particular ribosome) is used to "flip" the dna.

[Tim @ May 29th 2008 9:08PM]

Whoops, I didn't see the second page in the read link; it uses the protein Flagellin. Very interesting, but as i inferred before it couldn't guarantee accuracy without a fairly tight control system; which would certainly negate the "less than a tablespoon of sugar" cost mentioned in the article; unless that, too could be engineered biologically. But, Progress nonetheless!

[ScooterDe @ May 30th 2008 3:05AM]

lovely irony - use E.coli to cure disease

[Ender @ May 29th 2008 7:39PM]

When pancakes started being mentioned i was like, you can make pancakes out of E. Coli?

[Low Ranked @ May 29th 2008 7:40PM]

Pancakes and E. Coli bacteria were initially brought together by a restaurant known today as the Waffle House.

[ReggieXuk @ May 29th 2008 8:32PM]

lol, this blog if full of one liners.

[roflercopterer @ May 30th 2008 12:18AM]

So does drinking make you cool?

[kal326 @ May 30th 2008 10:07AM]

So does that also mean that the Waffle House is the worlds largest untapped super computing cluster?

[Mark in Texas @ May 29th 2008 7:47PM]

Hey, I just happen to have some extra E. coli!!

[Bobs @ May 29th 2008 9:30PM]

In your pancakes?

[Haikibutsu @ May 29th 2008 7:51PM]

On hour 0, the bacteria population was 126

Every hour they increase 10 percent in population.

Create a exponential equation using X for hour and Y for the population.


Y = 126*1.10^x

[El Taco @ May 29th 2008 8:18PM]

NOOOOO! I JUST GOT DONE WITH ALGEBRA CLASS! I DONT NEED MORE!

[ReggieXuk @ May 29th 2008 8:40PM]

I dont know anything about aljebra, but i got this: Y=126 + 12.6X


explain how im wrong and your right.

[zomg0t @ May 29th 2008 9:09PM]

@ReggieXuk
After the first hour, the population is 138.6 (I suppose we should assume 137 because it is difficult to have less than one and greater than zero bacteria), so on the second hour, this population will increase by 10%; that's a 13.86 bacteria increase, so on the second hour, the bacteria population is 152.46 (or 152). Your equation only works for the first hour.
Haikibutsu's solution accounts for the change in population and increases by 10% every hour, so his solution is correct. Plugging it in we get Y(0) = 126; Y(1) = 138.6; Y(2) = 152.46
His answer is correct at all hours, So he is right and you are wrong. :'(

[DiscoCat5 @ May 30th 2008 4:44AM]

"hooray for school", a wise man once said.
hmm yes i rtoo was able to create this equation. but why exactly are we creating it?

[zomg0t @ May 30th 2008 6:35AM]

FOR SCIENCE!

[Hraefn @ May 30th 2008 9:33AM]

FOR PONY!

[Haikibutsu @ May 30th 2008 7:40PM]

FOR AIUR

[ThreeDee912 @ May 29th 2008 8:13PM]

"sections of DNA being flipped to hide from a killer antibiotic if they get the answer right, and killed if they get the answer wrong"

Kinda harsh, ain't it?

[giyad @ May 29th 2008 8:22PM]

Well, E Coli tries to kill us so I say kill those suckers... stupid bacteria think they can hurt me, i like spinach, leave me alone

[deyanimay @ May 29th 2008 8:32PM]

what if they develop immunity then thought they connect to the internet and spread a computer virus.

[Sora267 @ May 29th 2008 8:56PM]

@giyad

Not ALL E Coli tries to kill us...In fact, everyone has some living in their intestines and is symbiotic with us.

[JPN @ May 29th 2008 8:18PM]

You will be assimilated.

[Jherez @ May 30th 2008 12:43AM]

You know I'm actually surprised that no one has asked if this thing plays Crysis yet

[miko34 @ May 29th 2008 8:23PM]

I'm one step ahead of them. I already created a computer out of my Eggo Waffles. Of course, it only works with round monitors.

[Timmy @ May 30th 2008 11:37AM]

and round numbers.

[Faisal @ May 29th 2008 8:30PM]

This seems like it'll promote the growth of extremely hardy bacteria...not sure if I want my computations to breed races of bacteria immune to antibiotic.

[ReggieXuk @ May 29th 2008 8:31PM]

All im saying is, whoever came up with that test, and calculated its difficulty as a math problem, and knew its importance in calculating inteligence must already know something or two about curing diseases. C'mon, wtf!

[deyanimay @ May 29th 2008 8:33PM]

you my friend have a good point, all the smart people in the world waste their time solving rubics cubes. =)

[Adam @ May 30th 2008 10:32AM]

Rubics cubes are already solved. They're a closed system. Go research something called group theory.

[xor24 @ May 29th 2008 8:33PM]

this awesome although at first i was hoping it could run at the equivalent speed of 2ghz but i guess we a lng way away from that

[Chuck @ May 29th 2008 8:56PM]

Save the pancakes, save the world.

[pg5of16 @ May 29th 2008 9:22PM]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake_sort

[Bobs @ May 29th 2008 9:32PM]

All this talk about pancakes is making me want some... pancakes. Glad to see I'm not the only one with a pancake disorder, my doctor said that aunt Jemima isn't real and cant talk, but she just told me to go make pancakes, so bye.

[billav @ May 29th 2008 10:04PM]

It could vastly increase your brain power… or it could possibly kill you.

Hmm, increase my killing power, eh? Lets do it!

[ReductiMat @ May 29th 2008 10:27PM]

Hooray for human ingenuity.

Fantastic stuff.

[c-man @ May 29th 2008 10:41PM]

From Wikipedia(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake_sorting):

The problem can be considered notable in cultural trivia, as the only well-known paper ever written by Microsoft Chairman and billionaire Bill Gates (as William Gates), entitled "Bounds for Sorting by Prefix Reversal" and published in 1979, describes an efficient algorithm for pancake sorting. In addition, the most notable paper published by Futurama co-creator David X. Cohen (as David S. Cohen) concerned the burnt pancake problem.

[Paulmichael @ May 29th 2008 11:05PM]

Wow, at least in the human world when you get a problem wrong on a test you simply lose points, there you get killed? Ouch.

[schlub @ Jun 16th 2008 11:10AM]

It's "maths" not "math". You don't say "mathematic" do you? Ergo "mathematics" becomes "maths". Silly Americans ;)

[Vic the One @ May 30th 2008 9:43AM]

WTF now we can't say "math" without an s on the end? What's next, are you going to stop me from eating apple pie? I'm sorry that you made me do this... SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER!!!

[Tarvus Domicus @ May 29th 2008 11:24PM]

Human teleportation is right around the corner.

[Das Boot @ May 30th 2008 10:11AM]

Time travel is also readily available. Einstein didn't know what he was talking about when he said it wasn't possible. Just look up the Philadelphia Experiment. Its crazy man, crazzzzzzzy. Ok i'm laying off the shrooms at work. CRRRRRRAZY

[Wally @ May 29th 2008 11:38PM]

This is a completely bogus story - the bacteria are not calculating anything. Each bacterium is essentially a random solution to the "problem" - if you have enough random solutions, one will end up being the right one.

It's completely ridiculous - it's like having a lot of computers, each taking one guess at the problem. And you have to do the DNA transformation, then culture the bacteria to see if anything grows.

There is nothing special about this solution with bacteria that hasn't already been done with molecular biology in bacteria before that is much more useful. This is just a small lab knowing how to market useless experiments to the scientifically illiterate.

[Prasand J. @ May 30th 2008 1:37AM]

This'll give the "cell phones cause cancer" crowd, something to really rave over. "don't stand so close to the computer, you could catch something!!!!"