from the if-you-debug-your-program-does-it-die? dept.
Researchers at the Technion have created a biological computer, constructed within a bacterial cell and capable of monitoring different substances in the environment. Currently, the computer identifies and reports on toxic and other materials.
[...] "We built a kind of biological computer in the living cells. In this computer, as in regular computers, circuits carry out complicated calculations," said Barger. "Only here, these circuits are genetic, not electronic, and information are carried by proteins and not electrons."
Bacterial luciferase and its substrate are encoded by five genes, and is responsible for generating light in the bacterial cell. By splitting the natural structure of the luciferase, the researchers created various genetic circuits and inserted them into the cells of E. coli bacteria. The result was that the engineered bacteria transmit signals as a product of computational action within the cell. In this way, they can serve as smart biosensors, analytical tools for monitoring and quantifying environmental infections and other toxic substances.
Is playing with self-replicating organisms advisable?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 26 2020, @06:33PM (7 children)
> Is playing with self-replicating organisms advisable?
Is playing with self-evolving organisms advisable?
ftfy
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Wednesday February 26 2020, @08:44PM (5 children)
Yes.
Almost all useful-to-humans features in genetic engineering are death sentences in the wild.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 26 2020, @08:48PM (4 children)
Have you mentioned that to Monsanto? Their business model includes letting their GM crops spread around...(as discussed at length here in the past).
(Score: 4, Insightful) by ikanreed on Wednesday February 26 2020, @08:55PM (3 children)
Almost no crops are viable in the wild.
Wheat fields don't stay wheat without huge amounts of weeding(or selective herbicides), pesticides, fertilizer, and careful control of water levels.
Wheat is grass that spends all its energy on making way-too-starchy seeds.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 26 2020, @10:24PM (1 child)
Viable enough that Monsanto was able to sue a neighbor farmer for "stealing licensed/patented seed".
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Thursday February 27 2020, @02:14PM
That's not wild. That's another wheat field maintained by a farmer.
(Score: 1) by redneckmother on Wednesday February 26 2020, @11:38PM
... for varying definitions of "almost no". See AC, above.
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 1) by redneckmother on Wednesday February 26 2020, @11:31PM
Lemme see...
E. coli? Hmm, like is in everyone's colon? And luciferase production, to emit light?
Sounds like a great way to track folks without a GPS device.
"NO! NO! I SAID "BUD" LITE!
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 27 2020, @04:17PM
i suppose if the scientists eat their experiment after they're done playing with it (cat gen?) without ill effect then it should be okay ...
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Friday February 28 2020, @10:18AM
> Is playing with self-replicating organisms advisable?
If the answer is "no" then my kids are going to be really disappointed.