This computer performs calculations using DNA in a drop of water

A computer in a drop of water. It sounds like science fiction, but researchers have actually built one. The system uses billions of DNA molecules to perform calculations. Researchers from Maynooth University in Ireland and Caltech in the United States developed the computer. The research was recently published in the scientific journal Nature.

The computer, called the Scaffolded DNA Computer (SDC), works very differently from a regular computer. It contains no chips or transistors. Instead, DNA molecules are designed so that they can compete with each other to bind to a kind of molecular scaffold. The “winner” represents the answer to the calculation.

Less energy required

What’s remarkable is that this computer doesn’t constantly need energy to perform a calculation. The researchers designed the DNA molecules so that they, as it were, search for the correct answer on their own. They interact with one another and form various combinations. Ultimately, the combination that best fits the task remains. That combination is the answer. A simple sum like 10 + 3 took about 30 seconds.

No electronic chip needed

Of course, that’s much slower than a regular computer. But the experiment demonstrates something important: you don’t necessarily need an electronic chip to perform calculations. DNA molecules can also process information.

A computer, then, that isn’t sitting on a desk, but is contained in a drop of water.