IBM is publicizing a novel gene sequencing technology they are developing as the “DNA Transistor”. With this system a single strand of DNA can be sequenced by being pushed through a tiny hole on a microprocessor that will read the small changes in the electrical field depending on whether the letter passing through the pore is an A, T, C, or G. I have recently become fascinated with the “computer language” that people use to describe biological systems and novel biotechnologies. Often the metaphor between electronic and biological systems is instructive in some way, but in the case of the “DNA Transistor” I think the metaphor to electrical components is inappropriate and confusing. My background is in biology, so it’s possible that my grasp of the basics of electronics is not as good as it should be, but I’m pretty sure microchip sequencing technology doesn’t really have much to do with a transistor. Even as a reference to the transistor as a basic unit of electronics the association with high-tech sequencing technology eludes me. Am I missing something?
via Singularity Hub
