Reprogramming Cells

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Early stage work in the manipulation of cellular and bacterial mechanisms is covered by the Telegraph: "Proponents aim to make living cells function as if they were tiny computers so they can be harnessed as workhorses that detect toxins by glowing, help to build things, or repair tissues and organs within the body. ... They want, for example to design a cell that will swim around blood vessels and digest fatty deposits on artery walls." Researchers are not too far beyond the stage of creating basic patterns and cellular devices as a proof of concept - but computer scientists were at that same early point not so many decades ago. The future looks interesting indeed.

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2005/05/04/ecfbug04.xml