biological computation

{{Short description|Conceptual computation method}}

{{About|the analysis of computation in natural organisms|computers composed of biomolecules|Biological computing|computation inspired by biology|Bio-inspired computing|data analysis and mathematical modeling in biology|Computational biology}}

The concept of biological computation proposes that living organisms perform computations, and that as such, abstract ideas of information and computation may be key to understanding biology.{{Cite journal|last=Mitchell|first=Melanie | name-list-style = vanc |date=2010-09-21|title=Biological Computation |url= https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/compsci_fac/2|journal=Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations}}Didales, K. (2006) [http://lcipm.blogspot.com/2013/11/living-computers-intelligent-plastic.html Living Computers - Intelligent Plastic Machines]. As a field, biological computation can include the study of the systems biology computations performed by biota,{{cite web | first = Kynszch | last = Didales | name-list-style = vanc | title = Being - Our New Understanding of the Meaning of Life | date = 2007 | url = https://drive.google.com/file/d/17FWhV-7BgYieNX3ILjCtRzzhN3rjRjA3/view }}{{cite book | vauthors = Bray D | title = Wetware: a computer in every living cell | location = New Haven | date = 2009 | publisher = Yale University Press | isbn = 978-0-300-14173-3 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/wetwarecomputeri0000bray }}{{cite web | vauthors = Mitchell M | date = 2010 | title = Biological Computation | url = http://www.santafe.edu/media/workingpapers/10-09-021.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131023055433/http://www.santafe.edu/media/workingpapers/10-09-021.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-23 }}{{cite web | work = NIMBios Workshop | date = 2015 | title = Information and entropy in biological systems | url = http://www.nimbios.org/workshops/WS_entropy }}{{cite web | vauthors = Dean C | date = 2019 | title = How Plants Recognise Seasons Using Molecular Memory | publisher = The Royal Institution | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BRzPvt0v8o }} the design of algorithms inspired by the computational methods of biota,{{cite book | vauthors = Lamm E, Unger R | title = Biological Computation | publisher = Chapman and Hall/CRC | date = 2011 }} the design and engineering of manufactured computational devices using synthetic biology componentsBiological Computation Group at MIT - Psrg.csail.mit.edu {{cite web|url=http://www.psrg.csail.mit.edu/biocomp |title=Biological Computation Group at MIT |access-date=2013-10-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030232132/http://www.psrg.csail.mit.edu/biocomp/ |archive-date=2013-10-30 }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Regot S, Macia J, Conde N, Furukawa K, Kjellén J, Peeters T, Hohmann S, de Nadal E, Posas F, Solé R | display-authors = 6 | title = Distributed biological computation with multicellular engineered networks | journal = Nature | volume = 469 | issue = 7329 | pages = 207–11 | date = January 2011 | pmid = 21150900 | doi = 10.1038/nature09679 | bibcode = 2011Natur.469..207R | s2cid = 4389216 }} and computer methods for the analysis of biological data,{{cite web | title = Biological Computation | work = Microsoft Research | url = http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/groups/biology }} elsewhere called computational biology or bioinformatics.

According to Dominique Chu, Mikhail Prokopenko, and J. Christian J. Ray, "the most important class of natural computers can be found in biological systems that perform computation on multiple levels. From molecular and cellular information processing networks to ecologies, economies and brains, life computes. Despite ubiquitous agreement on this fact going back as far as von Neumann automata and McCulloch–Pitts neural nets, we so far lack principles to understand rigorously how computation is done in living, or active, matter".{{Cite journal|last1=Chu|first1=Dominique|last2=Prokopenko|first2=Mikhail|last3=Ray|first3=J. Christian J. | name-list-style = vanc |date=2018-12-06|title=Computation by natural systems|journal=Interface Focus|volume=8|issue=6|pages=20180058|doi=10.1098/rsfs.2018.0058|pmc=6227810}}

Logical circuits can be built with slime moulds.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140327100335.htm|title=Computing with slime: Logical circuits built using living slime molds|website=ScienceDaily|language=en|access-date=2019-12-06}} Distributed systems experiments have used them to approximate motorway graphs.{{Cite journal| vauthors = Adamatzky A, Akl S, Alonso-Sanz R, Van Dessel W, Ibrahim Z, Ilachinski A, Jones J, Kayem AV, Martínez GJ, De Oliveira P, Prokopenko M | display-authors = 6 |date=2013-06-01|title=Are motorways rational from slime mould's point of view?|journal=International Journal of Parallel, Emergent and Distributed Systems|volume=28|issue=3|pages=230–248|arxiv=1203.2851|doi=10.1080/17445760.2012.685884| s2cid = 15534238 |issn=1744-5760}} The slime mould Physarum polycephalum is able to compute high-quality approximate solutions to the Traveling Salesman Problem, a combinatorial test with exponentially increasing complexity, in linear time.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sci-news.com/biology/slime-mold-problems-linear-time-06759.html|title=Slime Mold Can Solve Exponentially Complicated Problems in Linear Time {{!}} Biology, Computer Science {{!}} Sci-News.com|website=Breaking Science News {{!}} Sci-News.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-06}} Fungi such as basidiomycetes can also be used to build logical circuits. In a proposed fungal computer, information is represented by spikes of electrical activity, a computation is implemented in a mycelium network, and an interface is realized via fruit bodies.{{cite journal | vauthors = Adamatzky A | title = Towards fungal computer | journal = Interface Focus | volume = 8 | issue = 6 | pages = 20180029 | date = December 2018 | pmid = 30443330 | pmc = 6227805 | doi = 10.1098/rsfs.2018.0029 }}