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Making Computer Memory From a Virus

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the at-the-speed-of-sick dept.

An Ac writes, "By coating 30-nanometre-long chunks of tobacco mosaic virus with platinum nanoparticles, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have created a transistor with very fast switching speed. They say it could eventually be used to make memory chips for MP3 players and digital cameras. A device fitted with such a virus-chip would access data much more quickly than one using flash memory."

2 of 196 comments (clear)

  1. Logical evolution by zeropointburn · · Score: 4, Interesting

    DNA on silicon has already been done. Why not use a virus as scaffolding for memory, while we're at it? Granted, the virus' surface proteins are a functional part of the transistor. Given that we can already attach complex proteins (well, acids such as DNA) to silicon, there shouldn't be much trouble finding a method for similar tricks here. In other words, this is more practiceable than it sounds at first. I do wonder whether the virii or silicon traces are more resistant to heat, vibration, and radiation, though.

    --
    -1 raving lunatic; +6 subGenius... Things even out...
  2. for use with VLIW CPUs? by ratherpedestrian · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Chemical name of Dahlemense Strain of Tobacco Mosaic Virus is 3rd longest in English language, apparently (not sure I'd want to have a conversation with anyone who thinks this is really a valid English word, but anyway):

            acetylseryltyrosylserylisoleucylthreonylserylproly lserylglutaminyl-
            phenylalanylvalylphenylalanylleucylserylserylvalyl tryptophylalanyl-
            aspartylprolylisoleucylglutamylleucylleucylasparag inylvalylcysteinyl-
            threonylserylserylleucylglycylasparaginylglutaminy lphenylalanyl-
            glutaminylthreonylglutaminylglutaminylalanylarginy lthreonylthreonyl-
            glutaminylvalylglutaminylglutaminylphenylalanylser ylglutaminylvalyl-
            tryptophyllysylprolylphenylalanylprolylglutaminyls erylthreonylvalyl-
            arginylphenylalanylprolylglycylaspartylvalyltyrosy llysylvalyltyrosyl-
            arginyltyrosylasparaginylalanylvalylleucylaspartyl prolylleucylisoleucyl-
            threonylalanylleucylleucylglycylthreonylphenylalan ylaspartylthreonyl-
            arginylasparaginylarginylisoleucylisoleucylglutamy lvalylglutamyl-
            asparaginylglutaminylglutaminylserylprolylthreonyl threonylalanylglutamyl-
            threonylleucylaspartylalanylthreonylarginylarginyl valylaspartylaspartyl-
            alanylthreonylvalylalanylisoleucylarginylserylalan ylasparaginylisoleucyl-
            asparaginylleucylvalylasparaginylglutamylleucylval ylarginylglycyl-
            threonylglycylleucyltyrosylasparaginylglutaminylas paraginylthreonyl-
            phenylalanylglutamylserylmethionylserylglycylleucy lvalyltryptophyl-
            threonylserylalanylprolylalanylserine