ISRAELI scientists have built the first automatic DNA computer. It solves
simple problems using strands of DNA as software and enzymes as hardware.
The device, developed by Ehud Shapiro at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot,
Israel, is the first DNA computer that doesn鈥檛 require laborious intervention at
every stage of a calculation.
To run a program, Shapiro puts strands of DNA into a solution of the enzymes.
These manipulate the strands, sticking them together or cleaving them according
to strict rules. The result is a DNA strand which can be read off to reveal the
answer (Nature, vol 414, p 430).
Advertisement