BIO-COMPUTERS

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Scientists have developed a “biological computer” capable of deciphering images encrypted on DNA chips. As a proof of concept, the scientists encrypted the Scripps Research and Technion logos on a single DNA chip and, using software, decrypted the separate fluorescent images. (Image courtesy of the Keinan lab.)

“Our biological computing device is based on the 75-year-old design by the English mathematician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist Alan Turing,” Keinan said. “He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalization of the concepts of algorithm and computation, and he played a significant role in the creation of the modern computer. Turing showed convincingly that using this model you can do all the calculations in the world. The input of the Turing machine is a long tape containing a series of symbols and letters, which is reminiscent of a DNA string. A reading head runs from one letter to another, and on each station it does four actions: 1) reading the letter; 2) replacing that letter with another letter; 3) changing its internal state; and 4) moving to next position. A table of instructions, known as the transitional rules, or software, dictates these actions. Our device is based on the model of a finite state automaton, which is a simplified version of the Turing machine. “

The first author of the study, “A Molecular Cryptosystem for Images by DNA Computing,” is graduate student Sivan Shoshani of Technion. In addition to Keinan and Shoshani, authors include postdoctoral fellow Ron Piran of Scripps Research and Yoav Arava of the Technion. For more information on the paper, see Angewandte Chemie athttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201107156/abstract