Computing comes to life.

This CPU was inserted into a cell where it regulated the activity of different genes in response to specially designed sequences of RNA, a form of genetic material, letting the researchers prompt the cell to implement logic gates akin to those in silicon computers. Believe it or not, the bacteria contain more circuits and more processing power That is perhaps not so surprising when you consider that all life computes: from individual cells responding to chemical signals to complex organisms navigating their environment, information processing is central to living systems. The goal is the inverse of artificial intelligence: rather than making computers more brain-like, they will attempt to make brain cells more computer-like. In the past 20 years, armed with new and more powerful tools to engineer cells and molecules, researchers have finally begun to demonstrate the potential of using biological material to build computers that actually work. [Extracted from the article]