Bacteria Power: The Living Supercomputer Arrives

An international scientific collaboration has advanced a biocomputer concept for over 20 years, utilizing bacteria to process information. Researchers combined biology with computer science and engineering to create a system capable of solving complex problems that challenge standard computers. This biocomputer employs bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Vibrio natriegens.

Researchers translated complex mathematical problems, like the Subset Sum Problem, into a physical graph structure with tunnels. Bacteria were introduced into these tunnels, naturally exploring numerous solution paths concurrently. Unlike sequential processing in traditional computers, this biological approach examines multiple solutions simultaneously.

This innovative biocomputing method could offer solutions for computationally intensive tasks. While a biocomputer large enough to run video games like Doom would need to be immense due to the bacteria's slower processing speed, the technology offers a novel approach to computing. It bypasses the need for RAM and may help alleviate global RAM shortages, broadening the definition of what a computer can be.