30-03-2012, 11:49 AM
DNA Computing
6698527-DNA-Computing-Report.pdf (Size: 509.79 KB / Downloads: 43)
DNA Computing(Deoxyribonucleic Acid Computing):
DNA computing is a nascent technology that seeks to
capitalize on the enormous informational capacity of DNA, biological molecules
that can store huge amounts of information and are able to perform operations
similar to a computer's through the deployment of enzymes, biological catalysts
that act like software to execute desired operations.
Scientists around the globe are now trying to marry
computer technology and biology by using nature's own design to process
information. Research in this area began with an experiment by Leonard Adleman, a
computer scientist at USC who surprised the scientific community in 1994 by
using the tools of molecular biology to solve a hard computational problem.
Interesting Facts:
· DNA molecule is 1.7 meters long
· Stretch out the entire DNA in your cells
and you could reach the moon 6000
times!
· DNA is the basic medium of
information storage for all living
cells. It has contained and
transmitted the data of life for
billions of years
· Roughly 10 trillion DNA molecules
could fit into a space the size of a
marble. Since all these molecules
can process data simultaneously,
you could theoretically have 10
trillion calculations going on in a
small space at once.
WHAT IS THE NEED?
Computers have become significantly smaller and
more powerful over the past 40 years, but they still have a silicon substrate, and silicon
has inherent limitations. The abilities and power of computers to this day
have increased, almost exponentially, since the dawn of their creation. This
exponential growth of silicon chip speed and inverse of size has come to be known as
Moore's Law. Computer chip manufacturers are furiously racing to make the next
microprocessor that will topple speed records. As advancements in micro silicon
chip production continue, however, more and more obstacles are faced due to
the increase in complexities of the problems for which they are required. Chip makers
need a new material to produce faster computing speeds.
Operations o n D NA sequences:
The following operations can be done on DNA
sequences in a test tube to program the DNA computer:
· Synthesis: synthesis of a desired strand
· Separation: separation of strands by length
· Merging: pour two test tubes into one to perform union
· Extraction: extract those strands containing a given pattern
· Melting/Annealing: break/bond two single strand DNA molecules with
complementary sequences. Amplification: use PCR to make copies of DNA
strands
· Cutting: cut DNA with restriction enzymes