DNA-based Computers
Scientists have been trying to come up with alternative forms of computing for a couple of decades now. The silicon-based chips may soon be reaching their limits, and scientists are still exploring other possibilities that could prove at least as fast as what Intel, IBM, Sun and AMD are offering now. One alternative was identified in the chemical compounds of the human DNA molecule.
The DNA code string has already been cracked by scientists, but no one has managed to entirely decipher the meaning of the genetic code. For example, the entire human DNA sequence can be stored in no less than 30 volumes, each having more than 300 pages. According to Live Science, scientists have tried for years to develop artificial versions of DNA in order to take advantage of its amazing information storage capabilities. The first steps towards nano-sized computers have been taken with the attempts to harness DNA in order to create simple electronic circuits.
DNA is known to be using a group of four bases to code proteins used in cell functioning and development. But the Japanese chemists lead by Masahiko Inouye at the University of Toyama came up with entirely artificial replicas of these bases inside the sugar-based framework of a DNA molecule, creating unusually stable, double-stranded structures resembling natural DNA.
"The unique chemistry of these structures and their high stability offer unprecedented possibilities for developing new biotech materials and applications," the researchers said in a statement. "The artificial DNA might be applied to a future extracellular genetic system with information storage and amplifiable abilities."
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