Proteins may boost computer performance in future

BEIJING, Feb. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Recent research reveals that in a few years proteins could perform a prominent role in the way your computer works.

Tetsuro Majima at Osaka University in Japan has now shown proteins can be used to store computer data ¢w and exceed the capacities of today's magnetic and optical media, which are pushing their performance boundaries. The resulting data should be stable enough for a commercial product, which he hopes to see emerge in the next five years, Majima told LiveScience.

Protein-based memory devices should be immune to magnetic interference, which can wreck data on a hard drive.

The researchers used a special fluorescent protein to etch patterns on a glass slide to show the storage approach. Using combinations of light and chemicals, they were able to read the patterns as computer data and erase them at will, mimicking the functions of a computer's memory.

The protein patterns can be fixed in about one minute, Majima said, and then can be read at standard computer speeds. The bacteria-derived protein is stable, but for long-term storage is best kept below 4 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit.)

The results are detailed in the latest edition of Langmuir, a scientific journal of the American Chemical Society covering films, gels, bio-electric-chemistry and related phenomena.

Majima and his colleagues also hinted the proteins could be used for improved biosensors and automated medical tests.

(Agencies)