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Seminar Report on
Biological Computers
Dept. of Computer Science
Acharya Nagarjuna University
Submitted by Guided by
N. Sesha Sai U.Surya kameswari garu
MCA-3rd Semester M.Sc
Regd. No : Y10MC20038
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 capacity of all 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
Core i7 extreme
(2008)
781 million 40 Billion
TOP500 Super computers – Range :
Name speed Vendor
Jaguar 1.75 PFLOPS
(2.3 theoretical )
Cray (U.S)
Nebula 1.27 PFLOPS
(2.9* theoretical)
Dawning (China)
Road runner 1.04 PFLOPS
(1.3 theoretical)
I.B.M (U.S)
Kraken 0.831 PFLOPS
(1.28 theoretical)
Cray (U.S)
Jugene
(Blue gene)
0.825 PFLOPS
(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
What 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 traditionally manufactured electronics.
Self-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.
What 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…Will 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 “killer” 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 With 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
“FRANKENSTEIN, 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 “body,”
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 “molecular 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 pre-
programmed 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 “alive.” 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
“doctors” monitoring diseases within patients and administering the
correct medicines in correct doses.
► Tiny computers: cheap to “manufacture.” 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 .but
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 .