Biological computers sound like the stuff of fantasy, but 2024 has brought synthetic biology to a place where living cells can actually perform logic operations.
By programming bacteria with synthetic gene circuits, researchers have created cells that can “decide” whether to produce a drug, glow under specific conditions, or release molecules in response to environmental cues. Some systems even perform basic computing tasks, storing binary data in DNA or performing AND/OR logic using protein networks.
This fusion of biology and computation has major implications for medicine, where intelligent cells could live inside the body and carry out programmable therapies, and for environmental sensing, where living biosensors might track toxins in soil and water.
Biocomputers aren’t just theoretical—they’re growing in Petri dishes today.
