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Biological Computer Created at Stanford

Posted by samzenpus on from the meat-machine dept.

sciencehabit writes "For the first time, synthetic biologists have created a genetic device that mimics one of the widgets on which all of modern electronics is based, the three-terminal transistor. Like standard electronic transistors, the new biological transistor is expected to work in many different biological circuit designs. This should make it easier for scientists to program cells to do everything from monitor pollutants and the progression of disease to turning on the output of medicines and biofuels."

3 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Biological Computer? by ackthpt · · Score: 1, Insightful

    My wife and I have created 4 of those.

    And they are regularly infected with virii!

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  2. Re:This is not a computer by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You're wrong. A small computer can be assembled from a few hundred vacuum tubes. I designed a CPU when I was in high school, on paper, turing complete. 4 bits, 16 instructions. Not a lot went into that.

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  3. Re:This is not a computer by i+kan+reed · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A transistor is a computer. It just computes exactly one function on exactly one set of inputs. It's a simple finite state machine.