DNA Computer Plays Tic-Tac-Toe
by
Randy Mears
This may not seem like such a big deal but researchers have created a simple DNA computer that plays Tic-Tac-Toe. While this may seem insignificant in the overall scheme of things, it is an important step toward adding some substance to the whole DNA computing concept. It does a good job of demonstrating that DNA based logic gates can solve specific compute problems, but it doesn't help us understand how DNA computing will finally fit into the big picture.
If nothing else, this article clearly conveys that DNA computers don't remotely resemble anything like the PCs and servers we deal with in our day-to-day lives. But DNA computing isn't about replacing your desktop or your server, its about a new, and maybe better, way to tackle problems that silicon solutions can't.
With DNA computing still in its early stages of research, we shouldn't be expecting much anytime soon, but it does help a little if we know what it is.
