Bio-light, light fixture that runs on bacteria. via natureoflight, cmeinke 

Computers Made Out of DNA, Slime and Other Strange Stuff Evolution’s Design Most designs for molecular computers are based on human notions of what a computer should be. Yet as researchers applied mathematician Hajo Broersma of the Netherlands’ University of Twente wrote of their work, “the simplest living systems have a complexity and sophistication that dwarfs manmade technology” — and they weren’t even designed to be that way. Evolution generated them. In the NASCENCE project, short for “NAnoSCale Engineering for Novel Computation using Evolution,” Broersma and colleagues plant to exploit evolution’s ability to use combinations of molecules and their emergent properties in unexpected, incredibly powerful ways. They hope to develop a system that interfaces a digital computer with nano-scale particle networks, then use the computer to set algorithmic goals towards which evolution will guide the particles. “We want to develop alternative approaches for situations or problems that are challenging or impossible to solve with conventional methods and models of computation,” they write. One imagines computer chips with geometries typically seen in molecular structures, such as the E. coli ribosome and RNA seen here; success, predict Broersma’s team, could lay “the foundations of the next industrial revolution.” (via Computers Made Out of DNA, Slime and Other Strange Stuff | Wired Science | Wired.com)

via wildcat2030

Electronic Sensors Printed Directly on the Skin

New electronic tattoos could help monitor health during normal daily activities.

Taking advantage of recent advances in flexible electronics, researchers have devised a way to “print” devices directly onto the skin so people can wear them for an extended period while performing normal daily activities. Such systems could be used to track health and monitor healing near the skin’s surface, as in the case of surgical wounds.

So-called “epidermal electronics” were demonstrated previously in research from the lab of John Rogers, a materials scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; the devices consist of ultrathin electrodes, electronics, sensors, and wireless power and communication systems. In theory, they could attach to the skin and record and transmit electrophysiological measurements for medical purposes. These early versions of the technology, which were designed to be applied to a thin, soft elastomer backing, were “fine for an office environment,” says Rogers, “but if you wanted to go swimming or take a shower they weren’t able to hold up.” Now, Rogers and his coworkers have figured out how to print the electronics right on the skin, making the device more durable and rugged.   via wildcat2030 (via Wearable Electronic Sensors Can Now Be Printed Directly on the Skin | MIT Technology Review)