Is a Bio-Computer in your future?

I thought I'd share this bit of information I just saw.

Biocomputer Made of RNA Understands Boolean Logic

Researchers have created a “biocomputer” out of strands of RNA inside a living yeast cell, and demonstrated that it can be programmed to respond to conditions within the cell by taking specific actions. Like the most basic computers, the RNA device operates on a simple system of Boolean logic—it can be programmed to respond to the commands AND, OR, NAND and NOR.

The invention could have a wide range of applications, researchers say. Bio-computers might eventually serve as brains for producing biofuels from cells, for example, or to control “smart drugs” that medicate only under certain conditions. For example, a smart drug could sample a cellular environment and trigger a self-destruct sequence if disease is detected, [study coauthor Christina] Smolke said [National Geographic News].


The original article can be found here: 80beats | Discover Magazine