One of the limitations of conventional thinking in computation is that computable functions proceed in a sequential manner, one independent step after another. When computer scientists talk of parallelism, they usually mean carrying out more than one of these independent linear computations at the same time.
In the biological world, things are more complex because steps in biological computations may not be independent. Take, for example, the circadian rhythm in plants, the 24 hour cycle of biochemical processes that govern behavior. The cycle has various important features such as the ability to synchronizes with an external periodic light source and to continue to oscillate even in the absence of variations in illumination.
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Each feedback loop is part of a hugely complex biochemical network and is affected by many factors simultaneously…Of course, plant clocks have been studied for hundreds of years and a huge amount is known about how they work, particularly about Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant that is the standard object of study for plant biologists.
The trouble is that nobody has been able to accurately model the behavior of these rhythms from first principles.
That’s because these processes do not involve independent sequential steps, so conventional computational methods are just not up to the job. Biochemists need some other way of thinking about their problem.
As luck would have it, just such a system has been waiting in the wings. Process algebra is a form of computation that can handle multiple simultaneous interdependent steps and this makes it perfect for modeling these tricky biochemical networks and the feedback loops that drive them.
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Several orders of magnitude separate the efficiency of biological computation from what is possible with silicon. If that difference turns out to be the result of process algebra, then the study and manipulation of networks such as the Ostreococcus clock, may turn out to be the trigger for a new generation of super-efficient computing.
Read more at technology review or check out Plants and Radionic Currents for some good ol’ kookery.
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