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Nippon Electric Corporation researchers in Princeton, New Jersey have
patented (US 5 804 373) a universal computer, originally proposed by British
code-breaker Alan Turing. This one stores programs on DNA strands instead of an
infinite tape. NEC uses circular loops of DNA, where a sequence of 20 molecules
represents a letter of the alphabet. The loops are cut with enzymes to create
“sticky” ends which can be re-joined to explore every possible combination of
letters. Staining the DNA with dye will reveal the patterns formed. Although DNA
computing is slow, a very large number of strands can be treated at the same
time to create a massively parallel processor.