Emerging Trends in Computing

My name's Tig

[emergingtrends-blog]

Quantum Computing

In order to know what quantum computing really is, you need to know the definitions of both the words in the title. 

Quantum - We know this as the root word for ‘quantity’ and the Latin word for ‘Amount’. Modern use dictates that this means the smallest possible discrete unit of any physical property such as energy or matter.

Computing - Fairly straightforward: the use/operation of computers.

A quick search on what quantum computing is pulls up a definition through Google, taken from a Wikipedia article:

Quantum computing studies theoretical systems (i.e. Quantum Computers) that make direct use of the quantum-mechanical phenomena (superposition and entanglement) to perform operations on data.

But what does this mean?

The way a quantum computer works is completely different to the principles adhered to by conventional computers. Because of this, they can solve problems whose solutions would never work on a conventional computer. 

Basically, we owe the introduction of quantum computing to a guy called Paul Benioff. He was the first to actually apply the quantum theory to computers *pause for applause*

His long term intention was a Quantum Turing Machine. A Turing Machine being the standard model of 0s and 1s created by Alan Turing (I actually remember this guy from class, nice one) on an unlimited strand of tape. This tape has a lot of boxes, they can be filled with 0s, 1s, or left blank; then along comes a read-write device and hey presto; your computer now has an instruction. Turing Machines can only perform one action at a time, however. I a Quantum Turing Machine, this would not be the case, as the actions can take place parallel to one another, doing multiple things at the same time.

What’s different in a Quantum Computer?

The afore mentioned tape now exists in a quantum state. Huh? This means that the boxes on this new tape can either be filled with one, zero, or a superposition of both one and zero. Here’s a pretty little info sheet explaining that and a little more:

So a normal computer works through manipulation of 1s and 0s into different instructions to get your computer to carry out the tasks you’re wanting it to, right? A quantum computer works in the same way, however the bits (binary digits) are no longer bits, as they don’t just exist in these two states. In a quantum computer, qubits are manipulated into those instructions.

Obviously, because quantum is science, we’re talking particles ;) And particles can run into difficulty if tampered with in any way - say, looking at them could change their value, ‘cause you’ve bumped them; and if you are looking at the superposition of the qubits, trying to determine the value, it makes it take on either a 0 or a 1. Once again, only two options - you’ve just demoted your fabby quantum computer to a normal one. A solution for this is Entanglement! If two atoms encounter an outside force, this can cause them to become entangled, and the second atom will take on the properties of the first. Without the intervention of an outside force, these atoms are freely spinning however they like, but once you’ve disturbed them (correctly, obviously) then atom one will choose a value or a certain way to spin. The second atom then chooses the opposite of that, and spins the other way. This allows scientists to know the values of these atoms without annoying them and causing damage. 

Quantum computing holds the potential to be amazing and execute tasks so much faster than any of our computers at the moment; completing calculations that often get the best of our best computers worked up in a flash; but there’s still a long way to go yet. Despite continued improvement, specifically in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2007, most of the investigation into quantum computing has been theoretical so far, and a practical quantum computer is one of dreams.

[emergingtrends-blog]

DNA Computing

That’s right. DNA Computers. Obviously, this is a technology that is still in development, that you won’t find on the shelves of your local Currys next to a Windows 10 PC, and the technology didn’t even exist 10 years ago.

It’s all thanks to a man called Leonard Adleman. He was the one that came up with the idea to solve math problems with them ^. He realised that DNA had this untapped potential after reading “Molecular Biology of the Gene” by James Watson, who we all know is the co-discoverer of DNA structure (yeah, Watson and Crick, who didn’t give credit to the woman who gave the X-Rays, Rosalind Franklin). He realised that DNA was sort of similar to a hard drive, in that it stores permanent information about your genes. So he came up with a way to solve a commonly known math problem with it, the travelling salesman problem. 

Here’s how he did it using his test-tube DNA computer:

3 years after this experiment, a team of dedicated researchers at the University of Rochester developed logic gates made of DNA. We should all know what a logic gate is, but if not *insert homemade infographic here*

Logic gates, at the mo, interpret input signals that come from silicon transistors and converts them into an output signal that allows your computer to do the things that it does :) 

The DNA logic gates work similarly, but instead of using electrical signals, the logic gates are relying on DNA code. What they do, is they detect ickle fragments of genetic material, (this is the input), shove it all together and make a single output. In an AND gate, two DNA inputs are joined together with a chemical bind and they’re locked in and end to end structure. These logic gates + DNA biochips = BREAKTHROUGH. 

The computer components discussed above will take a very long time to develop into a practical, usable DNA computer, but if it ever materialises, it is theorised that it will be more compact, accurate and efficient than anything we’ve got right now. 

There are several advantages to using DNA computers rather than the silicone components that make up our conventional computers:

- The supply is renewable as long as there are cellular creatures. When there’s not, we’re dead so it doesn’t matter ;)

- There’s sooo much DNA everywhere. Since there’s so much, it will be a cheap resource :3

- Ew, ew, ew, toxic materials that are used to make microprocessors aren’t needed with DNA microchips :) Clean as a whistle. 

- They will be so much smaller! But also hold a butt load more data:) 

One pound of DNA has the capacity to store more information than all of the electrical computers EVER BUILT. #mental And what’s more, a DNA computer the size of a teardrop will be more powerful than the world’s supercomputer. The more DNA, the more calculations that can be done at a time. 

This is because they do the calculations parallel rather than in a line like conventional computers and therefore can do many at a time without interference. 

Also, don’t forget - our brains are just huge DNA computers, basically. The more we know about these, the more we will understand the brain!