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See the original image at arstechnica.com

First artificial DNA a step towards biological computers

arstechnica.com — Researchers have created the world's first artificial DNA strand, with hopes it will be used in DNA computing and nanotechnology.

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  • mentallyinhell, on 07/09/2008, -2/+12Don't you watch TV? This is the first step towards computers enslaving humanity.
    • rowjimmy, on 07/10/2008, -1/+5hah. i've got an internship this summer working for a company doing work in natural language processing, and i can't help but think that I'm contributing to the imminent destruction of humanity. Face it, as soon as we have AI, we'll enslave robots to do all the ***** work we don't want to. then, eventually, people will realize that robots are sentient and deserve certain basic rights. then the robots will pretend like "it's all good" but secretly they will be plotting. and then - destruction of the human race. it's no coincidence that pretty much every sci-fi world with robots in it goes down this path...
  • KokomoNYC, on 07/09/2008, -0/+7I sense injuries, the data could be called pain.
  • decafmatan, on 07/09/2008, -0/+3Damn skinjobs.
  • FoxFaction, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2Apparently they figured out how to make DNA using other molecules for the bases, instead of just GCTA.

    Now we can experiment with movie titles other than "GATTACA" or "G-CAT". G-CAT is a real movie where a cat has a gun built in to it, kind of like that SNL skit, but the G-CATs has much more cheeseburgers due to their superior genes.
    • rowjimmy, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2holy *****, is that where the title for the movie gattaca comes from? everything makes so much sense now...
  • Harabeck, on 07/10/2008, -1/+1Bio computers? To calculate anything of real value youd need enough dna to fill the oceans to complete the required chemical reactions. Storage maybe, but dna calculations are out of the question.
    • Triticum, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1Check this out:

      http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=5813.php

      This is only an early application of using biological systems to solve non-biological problems, I'm sure people will think of more and better ideas.
    • Ortheos, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2So human brains can't calculate anything of real value? They don't seem to be the size of entire oceans.
  • sleeknerve, on 07/10/2008, -1/+1Bio computers, i hope this doesn't mean robots, we dont need robots that are actually alive. Robots are scary enough
  • bwdd, on 07/10/2008, -0/+3I'd rather not have my computer think for itself.
    I want it to think for me.
  • GJBlizzard, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1http://www.amazon.com/Emperors-New-Mind-Concerning ...
  • alkajazz, on 07/10/2008, -4/+2I for one welcome our robot overlords!
  • burjzyntski, on 07/10/2008, -1/+4technically I am a biological computer...
  • Mandegar0, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1It begins....
  • jboswell2000, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1More than meets the eye!
  • 6donkey9, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2Awesome...soon I'll have my very own Six.
  • jpreall, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1Ugh, stop posting this story. DNA with a few extra base choices isn't going to get us to DNA computers any faster. I remember getting excited about DNA computer 10 years ago, and now, as a molecular biology researcher, I can tell you there's still nothing interesting breaking through in that field. If you want to read about the hottest thing that's changing biology, read about pyrosequencing at 454.com or similar high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies like ABI's SOLiD system.
  • atact88, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1Biological computers are done and old news (enough so that they are now mentioned in textbooks). The US Military has been using (or at least experimenting) protein based computers for a while. UAV's were among the first use of these computers. They have the advantage (from a security standpoint) that they need to be chilled in order to function. Upon crashing, the cooling unit fails, causing the protein to denature and subsequently all information on the computer to be lost.
    • TheGhostMan, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1This dna is made from all non-natural substances. No proteins to worry about.
  • impeachwatch, on 07/10/2008, -2/+0They want to create Cylons!
  • anandpopat, on 07/10/2008, -1/+0this is scary, i dont like this stuff. If this actually gets outta control those cartoons are no longer so unrealistic. What are we doing, this iwll get outta control some day. also, what the heck, am i gonna hvae to put sugar water in my computer or something! haha
  • drgkstep, on 07/10/2008, -3/+1Science unlocks key to making food using photosynthesis....I been calling them plants.
    Science unlocks key to making microscopic robots to go inside human cells...I been calling them viruses.
    Science unlocks key to making biological computers...I call it my brain.
  • drgkstep, on 07/10/2008, -3/+1Science unlocks key to making food using photosynthesis....I been calling them plants.
    Science unlocks key to making microscopic robots to go inside human cells...I been calling them viruses.
    Science unlocks key to making biological computers...I call it my brain.
  • Mpwns, on 07/10/2008, -0/+20111010001101000011010010111001100100000011010010111001100100000011110010110111101110101011100100010000001110000011000110010000001100111011011110110100101101110011001110010000001101100011101010110110001111010001000000110100001100101011100110010000001110111011000010111010001100011011010000110100101101110011001110010000000110010011001110110100101110010011011000111001100110001011000110111010101110000001000000110000101100111011000010110100101101110
  • rambamslam, on 07/10/2008, -0/+2Here starts the I, Robot process
  • gaapgod, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1Yet we still haven't figured out how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop.

    The world may never know...
  • CatfishAttack, on 08/08/2008, -0/+1http://healthyandenergy.com/frs-energy/
  • harvydent, on 08/14/2008, -0/+0I don't trust any computer without an on switch.


    Steve Woz said something like, Never trust a computer you can't throw out the window.


    I have technophobia.
  •  

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