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World's First Game-Playing DNA Computer
An anonymous reader writes "NewScientist.com posted an article today about the first game-playing 'computer' powered by DNA logic. An interesting read, although not at all a practical alternative for those looking to replace their PlayStation2 with the next great platform." The machine is "...an enzyme-powered tic-tac-toe machine that... uses a complex mixture of DNA enzymes to determine where it should place its nought or cross, and signals its move with a green glow."
First post?
Mad crazy shout outs to the crew keepin it real at the law library. CCA-yall!
Courtesy of shout-o-matic.
THE W0RLD'S N0.1 SCIENCE & TECHN0L0GY NEWS SERVICE
FIRST GAME-PLAYING DNA C0MPUTER REVEALED
09:52 18 AUGUST 03
NEWSCIENTIST.C0M NEWS SERVICE
THE FIRST GAME-PLAYING DNA C0MPUTER HAS BEEN REVEALED - AN ENZYME-P0WERED TIC-TAC-T0E MACHINE THAT CANN0T BE BEATEN.
THE HUMAN PLAYER MAKES HIS 0R HER M0VES BY DR0PPING DNA INT0 3 BY 3 SQUARE 0F WELLS THAT MAKE UP THE B0ARD. THE DEVICE THEN USES A C0MPLEX MIXTURE 0F DNA ENZYMES T0 DETERMINE WHERE IT SH0ULD PLACE ITS N0UGHT 0R CR0SS, AND SIGNALS ITS M0VE WITH A GREEN GL0W.
THE DEVICE, DUBBED MAYA, WAS DEVEL0PED BY MILAN ST0JAN0VIC, AT C0LUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN NEW Y0RK, AND DARK0 STEFAN0VIC, AT THE UNIVERSITY 0F NEW MEXIC0 IN ALBUQUERQUE. K0BI BENENS0N, WH0 W0RKS 0N 0THER DNA APPR0ACHES AT THE WEIZMANN INSTITUTE IN ISRAEL, SAYS THE W0RK DEM0NSTRATES THE M0ST C0MPLEX USE 0F M0LECULES AS L0GIC GATES T0 DATE, AND "REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT ADVANCE IN DNA C0MPUTING."
M0RE C0MPLEX C0MPUTATI0NAL TASKS THAN N0UGHTS AND CR0SSES C0ULD BE TACKLED WITH DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENTS 0F THE ENZYMES. BUT THE PAIR ACKN0WLEDGE THAT THE APPR0ACH WILL NEVER RIVAL SILIC0N C0MPUTERS, BECAUSE HUMAN ACTI0N IS NEEDED T0 0PERATE THE GATES IN SYSTEM AND IT IS N0T REUSABLE.
"IT'S L0VELY W0RK," SAYS PETER BENTLEY, A C0MPUTER SCIENTIST LINKED T0 UNIVERSITY C0LLEGE L0ND0N. BUT HE N0TES THAT A SYSTEM THAT CANN0T BE EXTENDED MUCH FURTHER THAN PLAYING TIC-TAC-T0E "IS MERELY A N0VELTY". ST0JAN0VIC AND STEFAN0VIC ARE AWARE 0F THIS AND ARE N0W F0CUSING 0N DEVEL0PING SIMPLE DECISI0N-MAKING S0LUTI0NS THAT CAN 0PERATE IN VIV0. M0LECULES C0ULD, F0R EXAMPLE, ASSESS FAULTS IN A LIVING CELL AND THEN EITHER KILL 0R REPAIR IT.
SNIP APART
IN PREVI0US DNA C0MPUTING SCHEMES, ALL 0F THE ELEMENTS ARE MIXED IN A TEST TUBE AND THE ANSWER T0 THE CALCULATI0N IS DEDUCED FR0M THE PR0DUCT 0F THE REACTI0N. MAYA IS THE FIRST INTERACTIVE SYSTEM. THE NINE WELLS 0CCUPY JUST 0NE SQUARE CENTIMETRE AND EACH C0NTAIN MIXTURES 0F THE ENZYMES THAT ACT AS M0LECULAR L0GIC GATES.
THE HUMAN PLAYER HAS NINE TYPES 0F DNA STRAND, EACH WITH A SEQUENCE SPECIFIC T0 A PARTICULAR SQUARE. T0 MAKE A M0VE, 0NE TYPE 0F STRAND IS ADDED T0 ALL THE SQUARES, AS ALL MUST BE AWARE 0F THE CH0ICE.
THE DNA STRANDS ARE THE 0N-SWITCH F0R THE "DE0XYRIB0ZYME" ENZYMES. THE ENZYMES' 0UTPUT, WHEN ACTIVATED BY THE REQUIRED DNA STRAND, IS T0 SNIP APART M0LECULES IN THE MIXTURE, WHICH PR0DUCES THE GREEN GL0W.
THE ENZYME GATES ARE CAREFULLY C0NSTRUCTED AND DISTRIBUTED S0 THAT AFTER THE HUMAN'S M0VE, THE ENZYMES UNL0CK 0NLY IN 0NE WELL. THIS IS "QUITE INGENI0US" SAYS BENENS0N. BECAUSE TIC-TAC-T0E IS A SIMPLE GAME, THE C0MPUTER C0ULD BE DESIGNED S0 THAT IT ALWAYS WINS 0R DRAWS.
ST0JAN0VIC HAS L0ST T0 MAYA M0RE THAN A 100 TIMES. "WE C0ULD HAVE PR0GRAMMED IT T0 L0SE S0METIMES, T0 MAKE HUMANS HAPPY," HE T0LD NEW SCIENTIST. "BUT T0 SAY 'THE AUT0MAT0N CAN N0T BE DEFEATED' HAS A NICE RING T0 IT."
J0URNAL REFERENCE: NATURE BI0TECHN0L0GY (D0I:10.1038/NBT862)
JENNY H0GAN
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tr 'a-noOp-z' 'A-N00P-Z'
This may be perhaps one of the most off-topic posts of all time. As much as I support gay rights and whatnot, stick to the topic at hand :)
> Are you GAY ? Yes. > Are you a PROGRAMMER ? Yes. > Are you a GAY PROGRAMMER ? Apparently so. What's your point?
im not gonna ask wehre your DNA has been going to play life
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
Shit: a word you can say.