Eric Winfree
Caltech
Monday, March 14, 2005
693 Kerr Hall **Please note different location than usual**
3 :10-4:00 p.m.
Some of the simplest Turing-universal models of computation appear as
natural generalizations of biochemical processes that occur in cells.
Finite chemical reaction networks are related to Register Machines; enzyme
reactions acting on polymers can directly simulate Turing Machines; self-assembly
can simulate cellular automata and more. Our increasing ability to design
complex molecules and systems makes these models of computation increasingly
of interest for nanotechnology and
biological engineering, as well as for fundamental understanding of biological
processes. This talk will focus particularly on molecular self-assembly
and questions related to the complexity of morphogenesis problems in this
framework.
[Note companion talk "Algorithmic self-assembly of DNA" in
Room 525 Phy/Geo; Condensed Matter/Biophysics seminar.
http://www.physics.ucdavis.edu/cllqsmnrs.html#cm]