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Problem-Solving Bacteria Crack Sudoku

techbeat writes "A strain of Escherichia coli bacteria can now solve logic puzzles – with some help from a group of students at the University of Tokyo, Japan, reports New Scientist. The team began with 16 types of E. coli, each colony assigned a distinct genetic identity depending on which square it occupied within a four-by-four sudoku grid.The bacteria can also express one of four colors to represent the numerical value of their square. As with any sudoku puzzle, a small number of the grid squares are given a value from the beginning by encouraging the bacteria in these squares to differentiate and take on one of the four colors. The Tokyo team's sudoku-solving bacteria competed in the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last week."

2 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. Re:What's so special? by supertrinko · · Score: 5, Funny

    The fact that you're comparing your abilities to that of bacteria worries me.

    --
    If it rhymes it must be true.
  2. Re:Wrong link in TFS? by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 3, Funny

    When I clicked on the first link, I got a preview "article" titled "Sign in to read: brain asymmetry eases hypnotic trance". What relation does this have to the summary?

    Once you're in an asymmetric hypnotic trance /. seems much easier to understand.