Biological Computers

Seminar Report on

Biological Computers

Dept. of Computer Science

AcharyaNagarjuna University

Submitted by

Guided by

N. SeshaSaiU.Suryakameswarigaru SeshaSaiU.Suryakameswarigaru rd

MCA-3 Semester Regd.No : Y10MC20038

M.Sc 

Abstract Electrical computers today widely used and they are almost in every home. These materials dont synchronize with nature and they caused for global warming. So we need to prepare a new era of computers with biological items like DNA or RNA. The storage capability of biological computers is very Giant , for example, one pound of Bio-logical molecule can stored the data equal to the storage storage capacity capacity of all all electrical electrical storage devices manufactured by man yet. Max speed of Human made electrical super computer is (1.75 PFLOPS practically ) very much less than the speed of bio logical computers (for eg: human brains speed is 10 PFLOPS ). These biological computers can mixed up with earth and dont

cause for global warming. Though

preparation of operating systems is huge for super computers , it will happen in future days.

THE BIOLOGICAL COMPUTERS   As we reach the technically feasible limits of the current electronic technology of the desktop computer, a new breed of biologically based bacterial Nano-computers of the future may have the capacity to impact and alter  desktop computing forever, through miniaturization that could bring huge increases of computing capacity, power, storage and speed. The impact of Nano-technology production could not only alter how we manufacture computer components, but might spread to other forms of manufacturing as well. In this article we will examine the current developments of bio computing, followed by the key scientific principles and applications of  molecular technology that makes this potential revolution in computing power possible. Finally we will look at how this cutting edge technology might be adopted in the future, and who would be most likely to make use of bio-computers. The Present Day Computer .

Today¶s state-of-the-art personal computers are based on the refined technology surrounding the development of the silicon computer 

chip. This power was attained by leaps in miniaturization, squeezing more and more circuits onto a single chip. Now a single printed circuit on the surface of a chip is down to 0.1 micron, about 1,000 times thinner  than a human hair. Today the computing capability of the computer chip has been embraced by consumers and industry alike in the clock speed of the PC Chip, measured in the frequency of hertz. A single hertz (Hz) is one completed cycle per second. Each cycle represents a single instruction, which may be as simple as the addition of two numbers, or one of  millions of instructions created by a computer¶s software. 60Hz would represent 60 cycles or instructions per second. Following this model, a megahertz is a million cycles or computations per second, and a gigahertz represents one billion cycles or computations per second. Today the state-of-the-art Pentium 4 based PC chip touts speeds up to 2000mhz.

The Bio-Chip Computer of Tomorrow.

The development of bio computers has been made possible by the expanding new science of  Nano biotechnology. The term Nano biotechnology can be defined in multiple ways; in a more general sense, Nano biotechnology can be defined as any type of technology that uses both

nano-scale

materials,

i.e.

materials

having

characteristic

dimensions of 1-100 nanometres Enter the field of molecular computing, and the ability to pack billions more circuits onto a microchip than ever thought possible. Science news writer Tim McDonald asserts that "molecules are only a few Nano meters in size, and it is possible to make chips containing billions, or even trillions, of switches and components."

From this

statement it would seem logical to assume that this new molecular  technology has the possibility to increase the capacity of a single chip by

factors measured in the millions. And if this possibility of such huge increases of a computer microchip exists, then what many would call a super computer becomes achievable. The term supercomputer is widely used but even more widely misunderstood. In order to define what a supercomputer is, first we must leave behind the old style of measuring computing speed and power. We will speak no more of the CPU¶s chip speed. It is irrelevant to the new computing models we are going to explore. Let¶s start fresh with a look at the most refined and efficient model of a biological supercomputer that exists today: the human brain. The human brain and our accompanying sensory biology, such as eyesight, represent a level of power and sophistication that makes even our best PCs look downright pokey. With all this fuss over desktop multimedia, here is a fact worth remembering--you are your most powerful computing asset. Fortunately there is a body of knowledge based on the 30-year  quest for robotic vision, and these statistics are revealing. Embracing a measurement in the MIPS (million instructions per second), it is thought that PC computing equivalent of human sight requires 100 million MIPS. Experimental computers achieved a few million MIPS in 1998. These were made up of thousands of PC Chips and cost in the tens of millions

of dollars.

If we are ever to enter the realm of the super-computer, we

will need to look beyond our current model of an electronically based silicon chip computer. Enter bio-chip based computing, which many scientists in a variety of disciplines believe holds the key to a new era of  computers, capable of tremendous processing power and speed. The race to engineer a new breed of machines and computers at the molecular level is well under way. The list of organizations that are actively engaged in nanotechnology research and development, as well as practical applications is impressive, including industry giants Genex, U.S. Naval Research Labs, IBM, NEC, Hitachi, and Toshiba to name a few. It is worth noting that even with this impressive collection of corporate R&D muscle, most scientific predictions of what types of Nano-technical machines are possible are ambiguous. It is clear that computing devices are only one of many different products that are feasible. Some examples

of

applications

for

microscopic

machines

range

from

microscopic bacterial syringes ± born from current bio-technology ± that kill cancer cells, to pocket DNA testers, to airplane wings made of "smart skin" material that allows the micro-surface to act as finely tuned flaps allowing for safer and more efficient flight. Other areas include data

storage, inertial navigation, weapons, and a dizzying array of nano pumps, and valves. In principal these devices will share many familiar engineering concepts used today.

"Just as ordinary tools can build ordinary

machines from parts, so too can molecular tools bond molecules together to make tiny gears, motors, levers, and casings, and assemble them together to make complex machines.´

Comparison :

All the transistors are replaced with DNA molecules and electrical signals are replaced by Bio-reactions.

Comparison of several stages in Electrical computers : product

No.of transistors

Calculations per sec

8080 (1974 year)

2300

200

Core2 Duo (2006)

291 million

20 Billion

extreme 781 million

40 Billion

Core

i7

(2008)

TOP500 Super computers ± Range : Name

speed

Vendor 

Jaguar

1.75 PFLOPS

Cray (U.S)

(2.3 theoretical ) Nebula

1.27 PFLOPS

Dawning (China)

(2.9* theoretical) Road runner

1.04 PFLOPS

I.B.M (U.S)

(1.3 theoretical) Kraken

0.831 PFLOPS

Cray (U.S)

(1.28 theoretical) Jugene

0.825 PFLOPS

(Blue gene)

(1.02 theoretical)

I.B.M (Germany )

But human brain contains 100 Billions of neurons which are acts as transistors and produce electrical + chemical reactions which are called feelings and thoughts W hat

About The Bio-chip computer? 

Based on the underlying principal of digital computing based on the binary code of 0's and 1's, we start to see how a single molecule capable of being in a state of 0 or 1, or On or Off, makes the possibility of molecular computing achievable, at least in theory. And since it has been proven that molecular switches can exist in several states at once, both on and off, the potential computing power grows exponentially. Combine this increased computing power with emerging miniaturized data storage technology that raises the bar of fast access to media up to terabyte capacity, and we have the makings of what we would now consider a supercomputer in a device the size of a current day PDA or  smaller. Biology and Electronics Merge.

The ability to engineer and build a bio-computer lies first and foremost in the ability to merge the biological parts with the electronics into hybrid systems. Electronic computers of today simply act as routers for electrons over the .01 micron sized circuits of today's silicon chip. A

biological PC chip, however, may allow for the same sized circuit to handle the equivalent of one thousand circuits through the development of Micro electromechanical systems, or MEMS. MEMS is the practice of  combining miniaturized mechanical and electronic components. It is widely accepted that any successful bio-chip based computer  can only be built by combining the bio-chip with the latest electronic technologies, including those for display, sound, input, and connectivity. Through a wide variety of techniques currently being researched and developed, successful MEMS technology will be key to building hybrid systems containing technology based in both organically grown molecules and traditio nally manufactured electronics. S elf-Assembling

Materials.

Manufacturing on the molecular level on a scale that would be useful is made possible by the ability for some molecules to "self-assemble." This ability to reproduce organically is noteworthy in many ways. Inspired by nature, this model is nothing new. But the ability to design nanotechnology based on organic molecules that build themselves once started is very new. Already successfully proving this concept are new liposomes that contain drugs for treatments of an array of diseases. There are many other areas where self-assembly has been proven to work. Some big wins include the successful design and growth of 

crystals starting off with a self assembling monolayer (SAM), as well as a very relevant piece to the bio-computing puzzle, Bucky tubes, which are tiny self assembling graphite tubes that act as the smallest electrical wire ever known.

The Universal Key. What propels the entire field of biological nano-technology is the ability to manipulate organic matter. For the most part, any one person or group cannot own the fundamental principals that would allow for  such extraordinary developments. "The toolbox of biochemistry, the parts list -- the "kernel," to stretch the software analogy -- is shared by all organisms on the planet.´ This non-ownership factor has enormous importance. Once any biological technology is developed, anyone can take it and tweak, much like open source code for software. This model has been shown to foster innovation in the software industry, which leads us to believe it can be only good for the developing nano-machines based in biological technology. There is the possibility of a "democratization" regarding the ability to design and manufacture as the technology matures. Award-winning

science writer Robert Carlson believes that "these critical technologies will first move from academic labs to large biotechnology companies to small business, and eventually to the home garage and kitchen." Fantastic as that may seem, it is now a fact that, for instance, that many lab tests that in the past required a doctoral degree and tremendous scientific resources now come in colour coded kits any undergraduate can use successfully.

 All This And Cheaper Too? 

Considering a computer chip manufacturing plant costs upward of  one

billion

dollars,

the

potential

of

biological

computer

chip

manufacturing to be more efficient from an economic view is an important factor. The combination of cheaper and faster always gets attention, and bio-computing will be no different in that respect. But there is another aspect of this technology that could effect us in ways so profound it becomes hard to imagine. We all know that the current model of industrialization is a wasteful one. Aside from the obvious solutions of recycling, alternative power, and other "green" sciences, biological manufacturing has a huge advantage, mainly that "renewable, biological manufacturing will take

place anywhere someone wants to set up a vat or plant a seed." Once the scientific design of any given bio -pc component is refined, it is simply grown. The drain on our planet resources and the wasteful pollution resulting from current manufacturing methods are eliminated in the process. W hat

could we do with a Bio-Chip computer? 

In order to see just what the future implications of this new and exciting technology might realistically bring, let¶s speculate, for example, what capabilities a supercomputer the size of a watch might have. I offer this scenario; a handheld or wearable computer device capable of  generating a photo-realistic 3D virtual computing environment, visually experienced by wearing glasses that project images onto the surface of  the each lens. Input is provided by speaking into a tiny microphone coupled with advanced speech recognition, and sound output by a miniature ear-piece. Connectivity would be achieved by high speed wireless network access to the Internet, and your colleagues, allowing for real-time interaction and sharing of data. Then consider the exciting prospect of  recording every moment and interaction each and every day of our lives, thus allowing each of us to create a virtual life history stored in digital media. Add a virtual staff of intelligent software agents able to perform

research, engineering -- anything a room full of highly educated and expensive employees would normally do -- and we start to see the potential of this new technology.

The Bio-Chip Revolution«W ill It Come? 

  As great as a bio-chip super computer sounds, and to many, including myself, the prospects of such huge advances in computing power and environments are truly revolutionary, in my opinion precious few of us will ever get to use one in our lifetime. Yes, it is possible, even probable, given the advances discussed in this article, that in the next twenty years some form of hybrid bio-chip super computer will be developed. Unfortunately there are many reasons why most of us will never even see, much less use, such an incredible device. The silicon chip based computer provides more than enough computing power than most of the population will ever need. Unless some ³killer´ application comes along that requires a quantum leap in computational power, and is widely adopted, our Pentium 4 or 5 or 10 chip will suffice quite well, thank you very much. Until there is a fundamental shift in the very nature of computing, most of the population

running Windows 200X on their desktop will be oblivious to the possibilities a bio-chip computer could offer. The precious few of us who actually need the upwards of 100 million MIPS computing punch are fooling around in such focused areas as robotics and artificial intelligence -- highly specialized fields that only a select few actually work in. The military might be an early adopter, but we¶d never know about it unless we wore a star or two on our collar. More

W ith

Less.

In the race to make our computer technology more efficient, many clever software developers learned to do more with less. The Hubble telescope received a highly touted PC upgrade in the waning days of  1999. It consisted of a 1970¶s era Intel 486 chip. I believe that the majority of consumers computing needs are easily handled by the computers of today. Until something, or someone for that matter, comes along that makes us want, or better yet, feel we must have a bio-chip supercomputer, most of us will never see one.

The First Biological Computer?

English Romantic novelist, biographer and editor, best known as the

writer of FRANKENSTEIN, OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS (1818). Mary Shelley was 21 when the book was published; she started to write it when she was 18. The story deals with an ambitious young scientist. He creates life but then rejects his creation, a monster. Off Topic?  While

³FRANKENSTEIN, OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS (1818),´ is science fiction. It seems to be founded on some science. The human body does require some amount of electricity and along with the ³body,´ a brain, or central processor, to mange the many processes it¶s been programmed to run. So, it is conceivable that in theory albeit very simplistic terms, the human body can be automated with sufficient power  and a brain to carry out instructions.

The Computer Today  Technically, a computer is a programmable machine. This means it

can execute a programmed list of instructions and respond to new instructions that it is given. Today, however, the term is most often used

to refer to the desktop and laptop computers that most people use. When referring to a desktop model, the term "computer" technically only refers to the computer itself -- not the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Still, it is acceptable to refer to everything together as the computer. If  you want to be really technical, the box that holds the computer is called the "system unit."

Biological Computers Today

  A computer made of neurons taken from leeches has been created by US scientists. At the moment, the device can perform simple sums - the team calls the novel calculator the "leech -ulator".  But their aim is to devise a new generation of fast and flexible computers that can work out for themselves how to solve a problem, rather than having to be told exactly what to do.  Professor Bill Ditto, at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is leading the project and says he is amazed that today's computers are still so dumb.  "Ordinary computers need absolutely correct information every time to come to the right answer," he says. "We hope a biological computer 

will come to the correct answer based on partial information, by filling in the gaps itself." Medical Applications

 Scientists developed tiny implantable bio computers Molecular  devices¶ remarkably precise scans of cellular activity could revolutionize medicine Researchers at Harvard and Princeton universities have taken a crucial step toward building biological computers, tiny implantable devices that can monitor the activities and characteristics of human cells.

The

information

provided

by

these

³molecular

doctors,´

constructed entirely of DNA, RNA, and proteins, could eventually revolutionize medicine by directing therapies only to diseased cells or  tissues.

Biological computer diagnoses cancer and produces drug ± in a test tube  Weizmann Institute scientist¶s vision: Microscopic computers will function inside living tissues, performing diagnosis and administering treatment. The world's smallest computer (around a trillion in a drop of  water) might one day go on record again as the tiniest medical kit. Made

entirely of biological molecules, this computer was successfully programmed to identify (in a test tube) changes in the balance of  molecules in the body that indicate the presence of certain cancers, to diagnose the type of cancer, and to react by producing a drug molecule to fight the cancer cells. As in previous biological computers produced in Shapiro's lab, input, output and "software" are all composed of DNA, the material of genes, while DNA-manipulating enzymes are used as "hardware." The newest version's input apparatus is designed to assess concentrations of specific RNA molecules, which may be overproduced or under produced, depending on the type of cancer. Using preprogrammed medical knowledge, the computer then makes its diagnosis based on the detected RNA levels. In response to a cancer diagnosis, the output unit of the computer can initiate the controlled release of a single-stranded DNA molecule that is known to interfere with the cancer  cell's activities, causing it to self-destruct. In one series of test-tube experiments, the team programmed the computer to identify RNA molecules that indicate the presence of prostate cancer and, following a correct diagnosis, to release the short DNA strands designed to kill cancer cells. Similarly, they were able to identify, in the test tube, the signs of one form of lung cancer. One day in the future, they hope to create a "doctor in a cell", which will be able to operate inside a living

body, spot disease and apply the necessary treatment before external symptoms even appear.

Risk-Benefit Analysis: Animated Corpse  The idea of animating a corpse as in Mary¶s Shelly¶s tale. Assuming it can even be done. Benefits: Understanding the mechanics of the human physiology in a new way.  Risks: The general consensus might consider the idea or practice inhuman. Who would volunteer his/her body? How long would these subjects be kept ³alive.´ The practice would enrage certain pro -life or  prodded groups.  DQ would be LOW Risk-Benefit Analysis: Biological Computer for Medical or Scientific  Advancement  Tiny ³doctors´ monitoring diseases within patients and administering the correct medicines in correct doses.  Tiny computers: cheap to ³manufacture.´ Able to run BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of calculations.

 Risks: Technology is it¶s infancy. Will take some time to mature. Potential to save lives and offer a better quality of life is high. There is many risks in operating with huge computers, if any small misused operations leads huge mistakes which are irrecoverable . Human beings can prepare personality by visioning and listening .b ut computers must be programmed in particular language.

Particularly, Bio-computers cannot synchronous with nature in both reproduction and growing , they are differ with humans in various acts. Because they follow operations and programs but human don¶t need to follow any programmer¶s instructions. He is independent but computer is programme dependent .