Waubonsee Community College

Wetware, a computer in every living cell, Dennis Bray

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-258) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Wetware

bibliography

262432351

Dennis Bray

a computer in every living cell

"How does a single-cell creature, such as an amoeba, lead such a sophisticated life? How does it hunt living prey, respond to lights, sounds, and smells, and display complex sequences of movements without the benefit of a nervous system? This book offers a startling and original answer. The author taps the findings of the new discipline of systems biology to show that the internal chemistry of living cells is a form of computation. Cells are built out of molecular circuits that perform logical operations, as electronic devices do, but with unique properties. Bray argues that the computational juice of cells provides the basis of all the distinctive properties of living systems: it allows organisms to embody in their internal structure an image of the world, and this accounts for their adaptability, responsiveness, and intelligence."--Book jacket

Clever cells -- Simulated life -- Protein switches -- Protein signals -- Cell wiring -- Neural nets -- Cell awareness -- Molecular morphing -- Cells together -- Genetic circuits -- Robots -- The juice -- Amoeba redux

Wet ware