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Bacteria Made to Behave as Computers

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the weekly-staph-meetings dept.

hende_jman writes "Scientists at Princeton University successfully 'programmed bacteria to behave like computers, assembling themselves into complex shapes based on instructions stuffed into their genes.' Though applications may not come for awhile, the article says that in the future this technology may be used in devices to detect bioterrorism chemicals. The article also has pictures of the programmed E. coli."

17 of 303 comments (clear)

  1. New Programming language by hattan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bacteria.NET Sharp

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  2. swell... by ErichTheWebGuy · · Score: 4, Funny

    First, they made armed autonomous robots, now it's smart bacteria that is potentially deadly... All that remains now is for the two to team up against their human opressors. I feel good about it.

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    bash: rtfm: command not found
  3. Imagine... by robpoe · · Score: 5, Funny

    A Beow ... nevermind .. screw it..

    I for one wel... naw, screw it

    In Soviet Russia .. The bacter... laaaaame

    the GN... err .. nevermind

    Hmmm..

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    = Grow a brain...
    1. Re:Imagine... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 3, Funny

      No, it doesn't run Linux. But it can have VIRUSES! :D

    2. Re:Imagine... by Frodo+Crockett · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yeah, but do they run Linux?

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      "The newly born animals are then whisked off for a quick run through a giant baking oven." --heard on Food Network
    3. Re:Imagine... by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 3, Funny

      In other news, bacteria living in the intestines of a programmer have learned C and are attempting to write, well, really crappy code.

    4. Re:Imagine... by Dead+Kitty · · Score: 4, Funny

      A Beow ... nevermind .. screw it..

      Can you imagine a culture of these things?

  4. Them bugs.. by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Funny
    "Is that the old Life simulation?"

    "No, it's a diagnostic."

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    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  5. Awesome by dirtsurfer · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's amazing how you can control an organism's behavoir by altering it's DNA.

    *yawn* Welp, time to go look at pictures of naked girls.

  6. Bacteria + Windows = Nightmare by jordie · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can only imagine what wonderful ideas Micro$oft is coming up with right now... Imagine your 'computer' crashing and growing all over your house.

  7. Prey? by ErichTheWebGuy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Anyone else read "Prey" by Micheal Crichton? If so, does any of this sound framiliar? hmmmmmmmmmmm

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    bash: rtfm: command not found
  8. I FOUND by NoGuffCheck · · Score: 5, Funny

    a betterpictureof bacteria assembling themselves into complex shapes based on instructions stuffed into their genes

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    serenity now!
  9. This explains a lot by 3770 · · Score: 4, Funny

    This explains why I could calculate PI to 1 000 000 decimals in 1.8 seconds the last time I was sick.

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  10. Re:e coli inside by SidV · · Score: 4, Funny

    What to go with your piece of sh*t car. ;)

  11. First program: by goombah99 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Perhaps the first program will be a cellular Autonoma simmulation. They could program it to play the game of Life.

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    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
  12. nice comparison by Dr.Opveter · · Score: 4, Funny
    Bacteria have been programmed to behave like computers, assembling themselves into complex shapes based on instructions stuffed into their genes.

    The last time i saw a computer assembling itself into a complex shape it didn't need instructions to accomplish that. Gravity is pretty much all it took.

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    Sample this!
  13. Re:+1 Amerikkka the victim by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    dood, if you blow up a petting zoo, I want pictures