how computer science can benefit from DNA researches?

[nowrocky]

how computer science can benefit from DNA researches?

 

Would it be possible in the future to analyse DNA in such a way to 'extract their natural algorithms' (surely the information written in DNA must know some clever algorithms to create such a complicated organisms as humans) that we could later apply in computer sciences?

 

The is not much information out there so I decided I would ask people on computer science / DNA forums: http://www.scienceforums.net/ ; http://dna-forums.org

[ecoli]

Well, computers are used to understand and model DNA, and especially the molecular evolution of DNA. Im not sure what you mean by 'applying' them to CS though.

[Mr Skeptic]

Not likely. DNA serves mostly as a template to (indirectly) make proteins, which function a little bit like machines. Not so much like a computer. In any case, the proteins are useless until they are folded properly and the post translational modifications are applied, and that information is not actually encoded in the DNA.

 

However, there is also the idea that you could make DNA computers.

[immortal]

Well there is a bit of doubt whether living things are quantum computers or do they use some quantum algorithms which are more efficient and faster than classical computers. Everyone were excited when Apoorva Patel at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore found out how the genetic code would arise naturally using the Grover's algorithm and the numbers which arosed was a coincidence.

http://www.ias.ac.in/jbiosci/jun2001/145.pdf

 

The problem of decoherence arises when one is dealing with quantum computers and we need to find out whether living things are capable of keeping long term coherence so that they can effectively compute things.

This is not going change the theory of evolution in any way because even if you use an algorithm it does'nt guarantees you that a solution will be found. You have to repeat that algorithm and chance still exists.

If it turns out that living things are indeed quantum computers then I think biologists have to make an advanced course in the field of quantum mechanics which is bit wierd.

 

Here's another way of making Biological computers.

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/05/will-biological.html

[Mr Skeptic]

Yeah, I think neurons are a bit big for quantum effects, not to mention a whole brain made of them. Probably the major reason that anyone considers the possibility that thought might be based on quantum effects is because they really want that to be true.