Biocomputer can explore multiple solutions at once as bacteria multiply in tiny, interconnected channels
The system uses multiplying bacteria in microfluidic channels to explore many solutions at once, researchers said, and may aid encryption and protein mapping.
- On November 3, 2026, researchers from McGill University announced a bacteria-based biocomputer that simultaneously explores multiple solutions to complex mathematical problems using parallel processing.
- Originating from a 20-year international collaboration, the system utilizes fast-reproducing Escherichia coli and Vibrio natriegens to navigate microfluidic networks encoding mathematical decision trees.
- Dan Nicolau, senior author and professor of bioengineering, explained "with bacterial division, we have 1 million chips working at the same time," overcoming sequential processing limitations.
- Adjusting temperatures to control bacterial growth allowed researchers to identify successful routes for the Subset Sum Problem, confirming biological systems can solve tasks difficult for conventional computers.
- While the technology remains a proof of concept, it could eventually map protein structures; researchers identified limitations including channel errors and the risk of bacterial overcrowding.
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A biological computer that uses bacteria as units of calculation already has a first experimental demonstration. A team led by McGill University in Canada has developed a biocomputer that addresses complex mathematical problems by simultaneously exploring different solutions. The work, published in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering, takes advantage of two characteristics of these microorganisms: they move in a simple way and reproduce q…
Biocomputer can explore multiple solutions at once as bacteria multiply in tiny, interconnected channels
A McGill-led research team has developed a bacteria-based biocomputer that can solve large, complex problems using a small fraction of the memory and resources required by standard ("solid-state") computers. Possible applications include encryption, molecular biology and artificial intelligence, the researchers said.
In the face of the memory crisis RAM, a product of the development of Artificial Intelligence, scientists explore new ways to solve the computer dependency of conventional chips Montreal, Canada.- An international team led by McGill University (Montreal, Canada) developed a device that exploits the displacement and multiplication of bacteria to explore mathematical solutions. [...] La entrada Developed a biocomputer that uses living bacteria to …
This computer solves difficult computational problems by examining different paths simultaneously and may even be able to run the game Doom. The post Scientists have created a new biological computer that uses bacteria for processing appeared first on Digiato.
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