DNA computing

When we think of computers, it is a matter of 0's and 1's in long series 001100100001010101..... the code by which your iPod plays Missy Elliott songs, your internet runs its searches, and your hard drive stores your school papers.

But a lot goes into the hardware: the computer chips that run this code is made of plastic, bits of precious metal and the like; various dangerous chemical solvents are necessary to make the microprocessors and plenty of electricity is used run them. All in all, there are a lot of environmental costs.

Biological systems are infinitely more complex than computers - and they construct themselves and run themselves using their own code - a genetic code inscribed in the form of DNA, and four chemical letters of A, (adenine), T (thymine), G (guanine), and C (cytosine).

Can we use this code in a way to analogous to computers to solve mathematical calculations and the like? -via "DNA COMPUTING"?

This zine by Lale Westvind explores this very question. Sometimes technical, it is full of historical details and enough information that you'll want to try to build your own DNA computer...

- - Click below to read the web comic version....