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Molecular programming

DNA and the brain

Nature volume 475, pages 304–305 (2011)Cite this article

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The idea that artificial neural networks could be based on molecular components is not new, but making such a system has been difficult. A network of four artificial neurons made from DNA has now been created. See Letter p.368

The design of intelligent systems is a long-standing goal for scientists, not least those in the Acme Labs of the animated TV series Pinky and the Brain. The Acme researchers used their technology to enhance the intelligence of the eponymous mice — Brain became a fiendish genius bent on world domination, although Pinky's transformation into a dimwit was arguably less impressive. Such experiments are clearly fantasy, but a related and compelling bioengineering challenge in the real world is to demonstrate how tiny biological molecules could support limited forms of intelligent behaviour, as must have happened before brains evolved. On page 368 of this issue, Qian et al.1 report a leap forward in this area: a network of interacting DNA strands that can act as artificial neurons, and that supports simple memory functions.

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Figure 1: Pattern recognition by artificial neural networks.

References

  1. Qian, L., Winfree, E. & Bruck, J. Nature 475, 368–372 (2011).

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  2. McCulloch, W. S. & Pitts, W. Bull. Math. Biophys. 5, 115–133 (1943).

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  3. Qian, L. & Winfree, E. Science 332, 1196–1201 (2011).

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  1. Anne Condon is in the Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada.,

    Anne Condon

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Correspondence to Anne Condon.

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Condon, A. DNA and the brain. Nature 475, 304–305 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/475304a

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