BACTERIA HAVE SUDDENLY «GOTTEN SMARTER»: Genetic engineering has transformed a living cell into a biocomputer

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Synthetic biology has achieved an extraordinary breakthrough: scientists have developed genetically modified bacteria capable of solving intellectual tasks previously accessible only to humans and computers. These bacteria will form the basis for ultra-compact biocomputers, with the potential to revolutionize medicine and the space industry.

NATURAL COMPUTER

f you think there are insurmountable differences between living organisms and non-living computers, you’re mistaken. Biological processes inherently involve constant computations performed by living biological cells. Essentially, all living organisms on our planet consist of tiny computers.

Some of the most striking examples include immune cells or brain neurons. They can choose the right solutions and discard the wrong ones. They exchange information with one another in much the same way as computer networks do.

It’s no surprise that science eventually turned its attention to bacteria — the «perfect computer» created by nature itself.

NO «SILICON» LIMITATIONS!

Unlike modern silicon-based computers, bacteria are free from numerous limitations. They perform their cellular computations continuously without rest or sleep. It is believed that micron-scale biocomputers have the potential to overcome many of the energy, financial, and technological constraints of conventional microprocessor-based computers.

Synthetic biology only needs to replicate the organizational principles of such computations. Cutting-edge genetic engineering technologies are stepping in to help. Thanks to these advances, Indian scientists have managed to create a system of genetically modified bacteria capable of solving highly complex computational tasks within their cellular processes.

MICROSCOPIC BIOCOMPUTER

The journal Nature Chemical Biology has reported a groundbreaking achievement by a research team from India’s Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics. According to Sangram Bagha, one of the lead authors of the study, researchers artificially engineered 14 bacterial cells to create a cellular biocomputer.

Each cell functioned as a modular and customizable system. The experiment aimed to combine these modular cells into a multicellular system capable of solving computational and optimization tasks. In other words, the goal was to create a microscopic biocomputer.

INTELLIGENT BACTERIA

This biocomputer was tasked with solving nine very simple problems, such as «yes/no» questions. The multicellular system successfully completed all of them. For instance, it was able to identify prime numbers and distinguish vowels from consonants in given words.

Moreover, it even calculated the maximum number of pizza slices that could be made with a specific number of cuts. While recognizing prime numbers or vowels might be an easy task for humans or computers, it’s entirely beyond the capability of ordinary bacteria.

However, Indian scientists managed to make genetically modified bacteria significantly «smarter». This marks the beginning of a new chapter in the discussion about the origins of «intelligence» and its biochemical nature.

ARTIFICIAL BACTONEURONS

How did scientists manage to create such «intelligent» bacteria? They constructed synthetic gene regulatory networks within the cells. As a result, each bacterium began to function like a neural synapse. Bagha even named this new class of artificial neurons «back neurons».

When mixed in liquid culture, these bactoneurons formed an artificial neural network capable of solving computational tasks in binary. The bactoneural network analyzed data and responded by producing different fluorescent proteins: adding a specific chemical to the test tube represented «0», while the absence of the chemical represented «1».

THE «PERFECT» E. COLI

For their research, Indian scientists used Escherichia coli, a bacterium that is a single-celled organism measuring 2–5 µm — about 1/20 the diameter of a human hair. It has a rapid replication rate of about 30 minutes.

Escherichia coli is highly resilient, thrives in diverse environments, and requires minimal energy. It is well-known to science and extensively studied, making it easy to work with.

Sangram Bagha considers E. coli the perfect choice for creating a micron-scale biocomputer far beyond the reach of silicon-based computer technologies.

BACTERIA TO HELP CONQUER MARS

Scientists believe the future of biocomputers lies in their microscopic scale. They can be used for medical purposes, performing autonomous tasks within the human body.

Once inside, these biocomputers can independently make decisions based on the state of illness by analyzing biochemical and physiological signals. Such autonomy could prove invaluable in space exploration.

For instance, in the creation of a research base on Mars. Naturally, experiments with bactoneurons will continue, aiming to tackle more complex computational tasks and enable multitasking capabilities.

Original Research: