Scientists have designed a "biological computer" that can calculate logical expressions using RNA implanted in living cells.
The advance could eventually lead to new tools for biologists studying the inner workings of cells. It could also lead to "smart medicines" that respond in preprogrammed ways to a patient's state of health. "It's a great way to do . . . logic," says Yaakov Benenson of Harvard University. Our system "can basically make decisions based on multiple [input] signals," he adds.