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Imagine having a small storage device that can store high definition video for thousands of years! Sounds impossible? It's possible with something that's deeply involved in our lives, and that's DNA! And technology is DNA computing and computers.
What is DNA and why?
Deoxyribonucleic acid (English: DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains genetic instructions for controlling the structure and activity of an organism. All living things have genomes in their DNA. The main function of DNA in cells is to store information for a long time.
DNA carries the genetic material of all life on this planet. Thus, DNA is an exceptionally powerful storage component capable of storing large amounts of information over thousands of years.
What is DNA computing?
"DNA computing" is a branch of computing that uses DNA, biochemistry, and molecular hardware instead of so-called silicon-based technologies. This technology can be used to store information more effectively using the main religion of DNA.
When used effectively, this technology can store so much information that it is unthinkable at the moment.
History of DNA computing
The idea was first mooted in 1994 by Leonard Adelman of the University of Southern California. Scientist Adelman was the first to prove that it was a form of calculation that solved the "seven-point Hamiltonian path" problem. Adelman's experiments have led to the advancement of the initial concept, and from that concept, various Turing machines have been proven to be constructive.
In 1995, the concept of DNA-based memory was proposed by Eric Baum, who hypothesized that a very large amount of information could be stored in a small amount of DNA due to its extremely high density. Then structural DNA self-assembly spread to different areas which have reached 2020. The self-assembling structure of DNA computing ranging in size from a few nanometers to a few micrometers was demonstrated in 2018.
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The potential of DNA computers
Since DNA computing works by taking advantage of different DNA molecules, for some specialized problems, DNA computers are faster and smaller than any other computer ever built. Moreover, its own and specific mathematical calculations have been invented to make a DNA computer work. For example, DNA molecules have been used to address assignment problems.
Xian-Jun Shu and his colleagues built a DNA GPS system and tested it to show that magnetic fields can increase charge transport through DNA, allowing organisms to perceive magnetic fields.
The ability of DNA computing
In 2006, a team was able to play a complete tic-tac-toe game on a simple computer made with a DNA strand in a test tube - something so unique that people would lose every time they played or draw a match, never winning.
In November of the same year, the team introduced the second version of the computer, which used only 128 DNA gates and 32 input molecules. In other words, with very little hardware and resources, it will be possible to do a lot of great work in DNA computing technology.
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Difficulties of DNA computing
Undoubtedly DNA computer is an unimaginable technology. But this technology also has some drawbacks. One of which is the slowness of the DNA computer. Giving an example will show how slow it is.
Where the response time of a normal digital computer is calculated in milliseconds, the response time of a DNA computer is calculated in minutes, hours, and days.
To take full advantage of DNA computers we need to put together a much larger amount of DNA computers. It will be possible to solve complex problems in a very short time.
Also, the output from a DNA computer is much more complex than the output from a normal digital computer. Which is very difficult to analyze.
Source Link: Science Bee
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