Slashdot Mirror
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."
Obligatory of course. However, maybe this time we can stick with a nice game of chess, eh?
Play tic-tac-toe? "Stojanovic has lost to MAYA more than a 100 times." With semi-intelligent players I thought this game was pretty much guaranteed to generate a draw?
$#!^ happens, but why does it always have to happen to me???
Bah, my DNA's been playing Life for ages.
When Leisure Suit Larry get ported, call me.
From the article: "We could have programmed it to lose sometimes, to make humans happy," he told New Scientist. "But to say 'the automaton can not be defeated' has a nice ring to it."
Great. Can I quote you after humanity got defeated by DNA-based Uberhumans? But then again, if it's DNA-based we might be able to make holes in it with a bullets, right?
Naughts and crosses? I though you played tic tac to with xes and os. Man, I've been playing wrong all these years.
Um, even I couldn't lose to a machine more than a 100 times at tic-tac-toe. It doesn't take a WOPR to learn that tic-tac-toe is surprisingly easy to grasp. I bet you could train a DNA-powered monkey to the same level of effectiveness as this silly human named Stojanovic.
here's a similar article titled "DNA basis for new generation of computers"
Game playing comes second only to porn as the driver of new technologies.
More seriously, this is a good time to look at how to model DNA computers on "normal" computers so that we can start abstracting the tools and techniques needed to design (breed?) the really complex patterns we'll need to exploit DNA technology.
Good stuff - in 20 years this may seem like the only way to compute, with silicon being as quaint as valve transistors.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
I'll dump some DNA on my wifes face tonight, then say "your move".
Essentially they have 9 enzymes to specify the nine possible moves of the player. Once a move is chosen the enzyme for that position is added to each of the nine wells. The DNA inside each well is aware of its location, and, of course, each of the player's moves since the enzymes are added to each well.
The DNA in each well makes a simple logic decision based on all the enzymes it currently detects and turns green to indicate that the dna 'computer' is choosing to move there.
Overall it's an interesting logic puzzle, not only because it's done in DNA, but because the method involves seperate logic cells which have no means of communication - only the knowledge that they know everything that their brethren know.
It has weaknesses in that it's easy to fool them all individually so they all light green.
Probably has many good applications in chemical sniffing and quite possibly future DNA analysis speed ups.
-Adam
I've never been a leet gamer by any means but now I can add enzymes to the long list of organisms that are capable of beating me at computer games.
Apparently, Leonard Adleman of the University of Southern California used his DNA based computer to solve the travelling salesman problem by exploiting the predictability of how DNA interacts. "Adleman used his computer to solve the classic "traveling salesman" mathematical problem -- how a salesman can visit a given number of cities without passing through any city twice -- by exploiting the predictability of how DNA interacts. Adleman assigned each of seven cities a different strip of DNA, 20 molecules long, then dropped them into a stew of millions of more strips of DNA that naturally bonded with the "cities." That generated thousands of random paths, in much the same way that a computer can sift through random numbers to break a code. From this hodgepodge of connected DNA, Adleman eventually extracted a satisfactory solution -- a strand that led directly from the first city to the last, without retracing any steps. DNA computing was born".
Apparently, a single gram of DNA can store as much information as a trillion CDs.
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
Slashdotters already play LOTS of games with DNA...mostly solitare, though, as I understand.
Ceci n'est pas un post.
from http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tic-tac-toe
"In a normal 3x3 tic-tac-toe game, both players have a strategy to draw the game. In fact, any move by the first player leads to a draw with best play.
"Statistically the best opening move is in one of the corners, after this move has been made if the opponent takes any square other than the centre one, then the first player can play in such a way that a win is certain, as shown in the above game. "
-Adam
Been there, done that.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
>The human player makes his or her moves by dropping DNA into 3 by 3 square
No comment...
"Son, don't do that, you'll go blind!"
"Dad, I'm over here."
This chicken may not be around anymore, but a little Googling will show other references.
And yes, I can admit to having lost a few games to her, too.
"For every right, an equal responsibility..."
... the only winning move is not to play."
Actually he lost 50 times. He lost another 50 times betting on the instant replay.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.