Made of DNA molecules, 'magic computer' can replicate itself

Made of DNA molecules, 'magic computer' who replicates itself  Researchers from The University of Manchester in the UK have designed a new, faster 'magic' computer that can possibly outperform the world's current fastest supercomputer. 

In a report published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, researchers have showen the feasibility of engineering a universal Turing machine (UTM) - a computer that can be programmed to compute anything any other device can process. Electronic computers are a form of UTM, but no quantum UTM has yet been built.

Quantum computers, have been well understood for many years but the breakthrough demonstrates that it is actually possible to physically create a UTM using DNA molecules.

"Imagine a computer is searching a maze and comes to a choice point, one path leading left, the other right. Electronic computers need to choose which path to follow first," said Ross D King, from The University of Manchester.

"But our new computer doesn't need to choose, for it can replicate itself and follow both paths at the same time, thus finding the answer faster," said King.

"This 'magical' property is possible because the computer's processors are made of DNA rather than silicon chips," he said."Our computer's ability to grow as it computes makes it faster than any other form of computer, and enables the solution of many computational problems previously considered impossible," he added.

"As DNA molecules are very small a desktop computer could potentially utilise more processors than all the electronic computers in the world combined - and therefore outperform the world's current fastest supercomputer, while consuming a tiny fraction of its energy," he said.

In DNA computing, information is represented using the four-character genetic alphabet.

(With inputs from PTI)