Merging Nature and Technology With Biological Computers: Our Strongest Tool Yet

- By Viswanath Missula

In the world of technology, a groundbreaking concept is emerging, combining the power of biology with the world of computing. Biological computers, living organisms with computational capabilities, hold the capacity to revolutionize fields and open up new possibilities to improve data processing, healthcare, and sustainability.

At their core, biological computers utilize the inherent computing capabilities of biological organisms to perform complex computations. Akin to how the human brain manages to execute a ridiculous number of computations in its functioning, biological computers attempt to harness this ability to perform computations as required by us. However, a key point in this ongoing research and experimentation with biological computers is not to produce alternatives to traditional silicon-based computing, but rather to devise computational devices capable of tackling problems that this silicon-based computing is unable to address.

One such application of these biological computers is DNA computing. This approach utilizes the unique properties of DNA molecules to perform computational tasks. DNA, with its ability to store vast amounts of information, offers a potent platform for information processing. In fact, this concept is hardly new. Back in 2002, a group of researchers managed to develop a DNA computer that a human could play tic-tac-toe with, which also ensured that the best outcome the human could achieve was a draw. Since then, we have continued to utilize DNA molecules’ interactions with their enzymes, non-coding regions and foreign particles to create computing systems.

More impressively, biological computers are offering a promising approach towards addressing environmental challenges. One such remarkable application is their use as biosensors to monitor and detect pollutants. By engineering living cells with certain specific computational capabilities, researchers have been able to create biosensors that respond to changes in their environments and generate real-time data on pollutant levels. This is largely accomplished through internal changes within the cells as a result of the environmental changes being detected and converted into a directly interpretable form.

Naturally, the journey of these biological computers is still in its early stages, and researchers are still exploring and refining the capabilities of these systems. Who knows where the field will go in the future? It might be just as likely to hit a dead end or an epiphany in the coming years. Regardless, even current biological computers and how we are able to use them today already demonstrate a plethora of possibilities to be implemented into numerous fields.