Chemical computer can be programmed to solve hard problems

A chemical computer can now be programmed to solve concrete problems. The way it performs calculations is closer to a brain than a traditional computer so may help researchers to better understand how brains work

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

Programmable computers that use chemical reactions to process information could solve problems faster than conventional computers. And, they may better mimic the brain than their electronic counterparts.

Traditional computers are made up of small components, such as resistors and transistors, that manipulate electronic signals in such a way as to be able to store and process information. In 2019, Lee Cronin and his colleagues at the University of Glasgow built a chemical version of a computer using reactions to encode information. Now, the researchers have gone a step further by figuring out how to program the chemical computer to …