Biological computation digital computational systems

Neumann consisted of a two-dimensional grid of square cells, each having a set of possible states, along with a set of rules. The system he developed eventually employed as many as 29 different possible states for the cells, and was, at the least, clumsy to work with. With the development of modern digital computers, however, it became increasingly clear to a small number of scientists that these very abstract ideas could in fact be usefully applied to the examination of real physical and biological systems, with interesting and informative results [9,10]. 

Figure 12.4. Block diagram of a modem NMR spectrometer. These systems use superconducting magnets that are based on a solenoid of a suitable alloy (e.g., niobium/titanium or niobium/tin) immersed in a dewar of liquid helium. The extremely low temperature of the magnet itself (4.2 K) is well insulated from the sample chamber in the center of the magnet bore. The probe in which the sample is housed usually incorporates accurate temperature control over the range typically of 4 to 40°C for biological samples. The rf coil in the probe is connected in turn to a preamplifier, receiver circuitry, analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a computer for data collection.

Discrepancy between the sequential and algorithmic method of information processing in traditional computers, and the parallel and associative way in which information is processed in biological systems, as well as between the digital representation of information used in the former, and the analogue representation typical for the latter. 

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