Mapping out Physical Computation in Living Systems

Living systems are fascinating computers. Based on constantly changing inputs each cell in our body does the right thing in the right place and time. How is this achieved?_x000D_ The explanation may lie in the fact that computation in a biological system is inherently physical. That is, molecules, cells, and the organisms they constitute were developed through evolution such that physical laws and physical properties like space and time are utilized to store and process information._x000D_ To bridge the gap between biology and computer science we propose to generalize and test principles of computation in living systems with the perspective of designing the bio-inspired computers of tomorrow. We will identify key principles of physical computation in organism development using mathematical models and computer simulations. We will test these principles through experimental manipulations and quantitative analysis of living systems. _x000D_

Overview

Grant agreement NNF24OC0090257