A DNA computer uses enzymes to react with DNA strands, causing chain reactions that act as concurrent computation. It can store information and calculate solutions, working with molecular automation. Its potential benefits lie in areas such as nanoscience and nanotechnology, where it could monitor blood and eliminate unwanted chemicals. Although still in early development, experts see a bright future for the DNA computer due to its innate abilities and advantages of parallel processing. It can store as much information as a trillion CDs and will lead to breakthroughs in science, industry, and medicine.
A DNA computer is a molecular computer that works biochemically. It “calculates” using enzymes that react with DNA strands, causing chain reactions. Chain reactions act as a kind of concurrent computation or parallel processing, whereby many possible solutions to a given problem can be presented simultaneously with the correct solution as one of the outcomes.
The word “computer” is somewhat misleading in this context, as most people today think of a computer as a machine that can do word processing, produce spreadsheets, display graphics, browse the Internet, and reproduce MP3 files. However, at its core, it’s a collection of electronic pulses that run through silicon-based circuitry. Electronic computers store information in binary form, then reassemble and interpret that information in meaningful ways. A DNA computer has the same basic ability to store information and calculate solutions, although its methodology differs in that it works with molecular automation or preset reactions. Its greatest potential benefits may lie in areas other than electronic computers.
For example, a DNA computer is a tiny liquid computer – DNA in solution – that could conceivably do things like monitor blood in vitro. If a chemical imbalance is detected, the DNA computer could synthesize the needed replacement and release it into the blood to restore balance. It could also eliminate unwanted chemicals by disassembling them at a molecular level or by monitoring DNA for abnormalities. This type of science is referred to as nanoscience or nanotechnology, and the DNA computer is essentially a nanocomputer.
The DNA computer is only in its early stages of development. Although rudimentary nanocomputers perform calculations, human interaction is still required to sort out the correct answer ridding the DNA computer solution of all false answers. This is accomplished through a series of chemical steps. However, experts are encouraged by the innate abilities of a DNA computer and see a bright future.
Leonard Adleman, one of the pioneers of the DNA computer, reports that a single gram of dried DNA can store as much information as a trillion CDs could hold. This, together with the advantages of parallel processing and the negligible power required, ensures that the DNA computer, or nanocomputer, will continue to be refined and perfected. When molecular computers become a reality, the manipulation of matter at the DNA level will lead to many breakthroughs in all areas of science, industry and medicine.
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