Sci/Tech
Biological computer prototype unveiled
The model shows how a biological computer could work
By BBC News Online Science Editor Dr David Whitehouse
A large-scale prototype of a computer that could be smaller than a living cell has been designed by an Israeli scientist.
Some scientists believe that, in the future, small biological computers could roam our bodies monitoring our health and correcting any problems they may find.
The prototype has been developed by Professor Ehud Shapiro of the Computer Science Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
![[ image: Ehud Shapiro hopes new biotechnology will make his computer possible]](http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/370000/images/_370035_biocomp150.jpg) |
| Ehud Shapiro hopes new biotechnology will make his computer possible |
In terms of the logic on which it operates, the prototype will behave in a similar way to molecules inside a living cell, a "biomolecular machine".
A living computer
Each cell of our bodies is a collection of machines made out of biological molecules. These molecules can form pulleys and gears to move other molecules around the cell.
Some molecules have the ability to assemble and take apart other molecules. Others gather small molecules and use a template to construct new molecules.
In a sense, each of our cells is a complicated city of biological machines all working together.
It is possible that a future biomolecular version of Professor Shapiro's device could lead to the construction of computers, smaller than a single cell, and with the ability to monitor and modify them.