This DNA Computer Can Calculate The Square Root Of Numbers Up To 900

This DNA computer is able to calculate accurately the square root of all the numbers all the way up to 900. Another exciting feature of this strange computer is that it fits inside a test tube.

This DNA computer is the creation of Chunlei Guo and colleges at the University of Rochester. It is made from 32 strands of DNA, which do not only store but also process information. It can calculate the square root of numbers like 1, 4, 9, and up to 900.

While this seems like a minor achievement given that several computers out there can do much harder calculations, this is a big deal for DNA computing.

The DNA computer works based on hybridization, the process when two strands of DNA attach together to form double-strand DNA.

What the experts did was to use combinations of ten building blocks to encode numbers onto the DNA. Each of the combinations is the representation of a number up to 900. Each of them has a fluorescence marker attached to them. The team then manipulated the hybridization, thus changing the fluorescence marker to correspond the original numbers to their square root. Lastly, colors are used so that humans can deduce the results.

This DNA computer is just the first step in developing more complex circuits according to Guo. He also shared that while this type of computer is still at their infant stage, they have great potential to deal with problems that are too complex for their regular silicon-based counterparts to solve.

Guo has high hopes for DNA computers and said that one day, they might replace our current ones in tackling difficult problems.