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• Logitech officially drops Revue price to $99 today, clarifies 'more returns than sales' remark
• LG Optimus 3D review
• LG's Thrill 4G rumored launch pushed back to August 21st?
• Iceland's crowdsourced constitution submitted for approval, Nyan Cat takes flight over Reykjavik
• Judge shoots down Personal Audio's second Apple infringement case
• Netflix plugin for ChromeOS hits v1.0.2, is an official release around the corner?
• Ask Engadget: what's the best deal in prepaid wireless?
• Orange Switzerland is expecting Nokia's N9 on September 15th
• 3DS NES Ambassador Program games will add multiplayer, other features
• iPhone price cuts hitting Radio Shack, Target tomorrow?
• DNA-based artificial neural network is a primitive brain in a test tube (video)

Logitech officially drops Revue price to $99 today, clarifies 'more returns than sales' remark Posted: 31 Jul 2011 10:28 AM PDT Google TV not worth 300 bones to ya? How's about a cool Benjamin? As promised, Logitech has slashed the price of its Revue set-top box from $299 to $99 on its own site and at retailers like Best Buy, giving prospective customers something awfully tempting to consider alongside the prospect of running Honeycomb on their TV right away. Oh, and the much-reported nugget from its earnings about "returns exceeding sales"? It should probably be noted that wasn't about returns from end users, which the company claims "have averaged at levels comparable to other Logitech products", but from the distributors and retailers it sells most of its hardware to. So, you in, or are you still holding out for the 90 percent off sale that may or may not ever materialize? Show full PR text Since you recently wrote about the Logitech Revue, I wanted to let you know that the device will be available for $99, starting on Sunday, July 31. Also stay tuned for the expected release of Version 2 of Google TV later this summer. When Google TV version 2 goes live, all new and existing Logitech Revue users will automatically receive the update, built on Android 3.1. Among other benefits, V2 will offer a simplified user experience and access to the Android Market. Additional Clarification from Logitech When Logitech's Q1 financial results were reported last week, we stated that returns for Logitech Revue were greater than sales. Some people thought this meant that there were more consumers returning their Logitech Revue products in Q1 than were purchasing the product. This is simply not the case. Remember that Logitech sells mostly to distributors and retailers, not consumers. Since we introduced Logitech Revue in October 2010, consumer returns for the product have averaged at levels comparable to other Logitech products.

LG Optimus 3D review Posted: 31 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT Cilantro might be the most polarizing thing on this planet. Some people can't eat a fish taco without it, others cry frothy tears of dishsoap at its mere mention. The same may well be true of the LG Optimus 3D (known as the Thrill 4G in the US). We already felt a little torn about the device when we first got our hands on it back in February. Sure, it packed some extra heft and, ahem, Android 2.2.2. But its stupor-inducing, 3D display (combined with some truly poignant marketing) was just enough to whet our appetites. Plus, after having already scarfed down a bowl of HTC's EVO 3D, we were more than a little keen on tasting LG's take on the glasses-free 3D recipe – a young and intriguing smartphone genre. Now that we finally have, we're ready to tackle a question for the ages: dishsoap or delicacy? LG Optimus 3D review Hardware There's no way to say this without hurting someone's feelings, so we'll just get it out there: the Optimus 3D is pretty... porky. At 128mm (about five inches) long and 68mm (2.67 inches) wide, it's not exactly the most pocket-friendly phone we've toted and, at 11.9mm (almost half an inch) thick, it's even a bit chunkier than the Optimus Black. The handset and its nearly six ounces of bulk could also benefit from a few extra hours on the treadmill. If you're looking for a larger device or don't mind carrying a little extra weight, it won't pose a problem. If, on the other hand, you expect your phone to do things like fit in your pocket, you may be disappointed. From a design standpoint, the device sports a streamlined look. Its rather ample, 4.3-inch LCD makes good use of the Optimus 3D's girth, spanning almost the entire storefront. Just above the screen is a silver LG logo, centered next to a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. Looming large over both of them is a trapezoidal earpiece that peeks out from the bottom of the upper bezel. Straddling the bezel's southern regions are four, understated Android buttons, backlit and waiting to illuminate upon command. Around back, you'll find a pair of stereoscopic 3D, five megapixel cameras, with an LED flash nestled in between. Both cameras sit on a stainless steel strip that runs left-of center down the phone's back side. They're also submerged slightly below the phone's back surface, providing some extra (and appreciated) protection. As on the front, LG kept its branding to a minimum, leaving as corporate droppings only a light gray logo and stereoscopic 3D engraving. These are both placed around a loudspeaker, which sits in the southwest quadrant. The speaker delivers clear sound, but it's far from a main attraction. The device is all curved edges and rounded corners, though the back side, strangely enough, is split into two levels, with the cameras sitting on the higher end of the ridge. This architectural curiosity didn't pose any significant ergonomic challenges, but it's not the prettiest design, either. It's worth noting that the entire back shell can be lifted with remarkable ease, requiring barely a fingernail. Inside, you'll find SIM storage and a slot for a microSD card, which can be easily removed without disturbing the 1500 mAh battery lodged within. Along the left side sits a micro-USB port, stacked atop an HDMI socket. Either can be accessed by opening its respective hinged cover, but because both flaps are so close together (and unfold in opposite directions), it can be a little cumbersome to open both at the same time. These are positioned just below a thin silver layer that lazes along the phone's perimeter, providing a sleek border between the capacitive touchscreen up front and rubbery matte plastic covering its derriere. On the opposite side, you'll spot a volume toggle and a dedicated hot-key that takes you directly to LG's 3D Zone (more on that later). Up top is the power button and a 3.5mm headphone jack. At the center of all this, of course, is that skating rink of a capacitive touchscreen. It's large and in charge, but its ho-hum 480 x 800 resolution left us somewhat disappointed. Don't get us wrong – the display is sufficiently responsive, handles direct sunlight with grace and can muster some decent brightness of its own. But for a phone that promises such a dazzling visual experience, a more state-of-the-art panel could've paid serious dividends. Camera We couldn't find much of a reason to complain about the Optimus 3D's camera setup, but we couldn't find a lot to praise, either -- it's just there. It won't produce the same detail you'd get from the eight-megapixel lens on the Galaxy S II, but the Optimus' five megapixel sensor delivered a satisfactory performance, responsively adjusting to both low and high light. 3D shots turned out surprisingly well, with the phone's cameras delivering some pretty gnarly visuals. Images don't exactly jump out of the screen and into your face, but the relief is still sharp enough to invite intense gazing. Once you've captured your 3D pics, you can save them in either MPO or JPS formats, depending upon whom you're sharing them with. It's also worth mentioning that any 2D image can be converted into an extra dimensional shot, and vice versa. LG Optimus 3D review The phone's video capabilities, on the other hand, are much more compelling. Moving 2D images are captured in 1080p, at 24 fps, with 3D video in 720p, at 30 fps. We may have been over-caffeinated, but we had a difficult time keeping a steady shot in 2D, while the Optimus' stabilizing feature helped right the ship during 3D tests. Shooting in the third dimension, however, posed quite different challenges. When filming a person slowly walking toward the lens, the effect came out quite well. But as soon as faster-moving subjects unexpectedly entered the frame, video quality quickly deteriorated into patchiness and doubled images. However challenging they were to harness, the phone's 3D capabilities were ultimately more compelling than they were discouraging. We spent hours experimenting with various angles and mise-en-scenes, though it didn't take long for us to recognize the cinematic potential for more creative users to harvest. 3D The question, however, is whether the medium is stunning enough to warrant a purchase, which brings us to the Optimus 3D's most cilantro-like quality: the glasses-less 3D experience. It's not for everyone. To be fair, it's definitely cool (in the "let me whip out my phone at a bar and make conversation" sort of way), and the novelty can be genuinely intriguing... for about five minutes. After that, spectators may either get bored with it, or end up feeling like their eyes were just juggled through a meat grinder (our experience skewed heavily toward the latter). You could attribute this evanescence to the relative lack of glasses-free 3D content, but LG's tech still has a ways to go before achieving universality. Whether we were playing games or watching video, we consistently noticed severe shifts in image quality with even the slightest of movements. When holding the device in landscape mode, the most innocuous of turns resulted in unsettling flickers. The same went for any vertical shifts toward and away from the display. Of course, LG carefully specifies all this in its pre-installed 3D guide, warning you about spending too much time in front of the display, but that doesn't make it any less jarring. And, while it doesn't take a Herculean effort to hold a phone still, our optic nerves shudder at the thought of trying to play a 3D game on a crowded, rush-hour subway. If you're planning to watch a ton of 3D content on your smartphone, you should probably look elsewhere – especially considering the aforementioned implications for battery life. For content creators, on the other hand, the experience would be slightly different, largely because of the filming capabilities mentioned above, along with the Optimus' content sharing features. The HDMI port enables direct connections to any 3D TV, which could be a cool perk for amateur filmmakers looking to add some spice to their home video collection. LG Optimus 3D sample shots (3D) Performance One of the Optimus 3D's most commendable qualities is its speed. Lurking within its bowels is an OMAP 4430 from Texas Instruments – you know, the 1GHz dual-core ARM A9 SOC that (briefly) ruled the benchmarking roost. Graphics come courtesy of a PowerVR SGX540 GPU, and there's 8GB of onboard memory, along with 512MB of dual-channel RAM. The device also performed impressively on benchmark tests, racking up over 2200 on Quadrant, 57.1 fps on Nenamark, 58 fps on Neocore and hovering between 35 and 40 MFLOPS on Linpack. Transitions between screens were about as seamless as we could've hoped, and the native browser performed admirably, smoothly and swiftly handling Flash and other online demands. We did notice some glitches and slow-downs when closing 3D applications and quickly executing a function on the homescreen, and there was some occasional freezing during app transitions. But they certainly weren't deal-breakers. Much of LG's marketing has centered around the Optimus 3D's "Tri-Dual" architecture – a configuration combining dual-core, dual memory and dual-channel. This design effectively doubles the number of conduits through which data can travel, theoretically allowing for faster performance and more efficient power usage. We noticed speedy processing on web pages and apps, though the configuration certainly didn't do much for battery life. Endurance, in fact, may be the Optimus 3D's most glaring weakness. Though our everyday use consisted of nothing more than checking e-mail, updating Twitter and occasional 3D gameplay, we still found ourselves recharging the device every ten to 12 hours. As you'd expect, depletion rapidly accelerated when we used the 3D features more heavily. After conducting formal tests, we found that it takes about seven hours to completely drain the phone's battery, when put under slightly more strain. Keep in mind, however, that we conducted these battery tests without even touching any of the phone's power-sucking 3D content – which isn't a good sign, considering that 3D is the device's signature feature. Reception over an HSPA network in France was refreshingly stellar, even in our Bermuda Triangle of an apartment. On average, the device received about one to two bars more than what an iPhone 4 picked up on the same network. At 75 percent volume, the earpiece carefully toed the line between loud and tinny and no one reported connection issues on the other end. Software The Optimus 3D already entered the software game at a serious disadvantage, by virtue of the fact that it ships with Froyo. Who knows if that'll change by the time it hits the US, but for the moment, the lack of Gingerbread is pretty unfortunate. The layout is depressingly sterile, and its limited functionality made the overall experience seem unremarkable. That said, it's an entirely functional OS – everything does what you'd expect, without too many bells and whistles. To unlock the phone, you just have to slide the screen upward. It's a simple enough gesture, but we noticed persistent chops in the animation, making the icon unfold more like a creaky garage door than a crisp can of sardines. Arriving at the home screen, you'll find the second generation of LG's Optimus UI on full display, with weather and clock widgets bannered across the top of the screen, and a smattering of standard apps growing along the bottom. Scrolling one panel to the right, you'll find the browser, music app, photo gallery and dedicated 3D games app, while the easternmost panel houses a clean, large calendar, which you can sync with your Google account. On the far left lives a social media widget, which aggregates feeds from your various accounts, right next to a panel of your "favorite contacts" – the illuminati from your phonebook with whom you want umbilically instant contact. It's all very simple. Very... plain. But LG has gone the extra mile to emphasize the ostensible crown jewel of its new headset: 3D. As we mentioned above, there's a dedicated hot-key that will whisk you away to LG's "3D Space" – a pleasant little carousel full of games, videos and epilepsy. The pre-loaded content provides a relatively smooth introduction to glasses-less 3D, and there's a widget devoted exclusively to 3D clips on YouTube. The 3D Store, meanwhile, connects you to LG's browser-based marketplace, where you can purchase more games or multimedia. It's clear that software isn't the Optimus 3D's best side, though we'd be eager to see how a Gingerbread update would influence its complexion. It's also clear that LG put almost all of its Froyo muscle behind its 3D features – which says a lot about the Optimus 3D. Wrap-up All told, the Optimus 3D is a perfectly serviceable, largely inoffensive smartphone that just so happens to possess 3D capabilities. Like the idiot savant math whiz, or the high school phenom with a poisonous crossover, LG's latest creation occasionally shows flashes of brilliance, but still lacks some fundamental qualities -- in this case, sophisticated software and a grittier battery. To LG's credit, the Optimus 3D isn't trying to be something it's not. It's certainly not reaching for the Samsung Galaxy SII's heights, nor is it looking to out-duel its Gingerbread-less brethren, like the Droid X2. Instead, the device seems to realize that it's a one-trick pony, and devotes all of its energies to harvesting that comparative advantage. For most people, that one trick probably won't be enough to justify buying an otherwise vanilla (and large) handset. 3D pioneers, on the other hand, may be more willing to shell out the £500 (about $820), as long as they're not expecting much more than extra-dimensional eye candy. At this point, it's hard for us to call LG's 3D technology anything other than a gimmick, but it's still a fun gimmick -- even if it leaves a somewhat soapy aftertaste.

LG's Thrill 4G rumored launch pushed back to August 21st? Posted: 31 Jul 2011 07:06 AM PDT Good old Radio Shack just can't seem to keep its hands on internal memos. A little over a week ago, we were treated to a pair of leaked documents, slating an August 7th rollout for the LG Thrill 4G, and now another official looking missive has surfaced, pushing the release date back to August 21st. As per the document, customers will still be able to reserve their own 3D-enabled handset with the purchase of a $50 gift certificate before August 15th. Of course, we could still see this thrilling 4G phone pop up ahead of that date, perhaps from AT&T, but if you've already got a $50 gift certificate in hand, it looks like it's time for another round of the waiting game.

Iceland's crowdsourced constitution submitted for approval, Nyan Cat takes flight over Reykjavik Posted: 31 Jul 2011 04:03 AM PDT A committee of 25 Icelanders submitted the first draft of a rewritten constitution to the country's parliamentary speaker Friday, and despite our recommendations, Rebecca Black was conspicuously absent from the proceedings. The democratic experiment bravely asked citizens to log on to Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and Twitter to engage with the committee in a discussion about the nation's future. While the project's Facebook page played host to pleads for free ice cream and more volcanoes, the constitution's creators managed to stay on task, focusing on issues of decentralization and transparency in government. The draft is slated for review beginning October 1st.

Judge shoots down Personal Audio's second Apple infringement case Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:57 AM PDT Talk about swift justice. It's been less than a week since we reported on Personal Audio's second infringement suit against Apple, and an East Texas judge has already put an end to the litigation. In a statement regarding the company's complaint that the iPad 2, iPhone 4, and latest generation iPods infringed on the same patents put forth in its initial suit, Judge Ron Clark said the $8 million already awarded to the plaintiff should do just fine. He went on to deny the company's request for a second trial. It may not be the last we hear of Personal Audio, but it is a refreshing change of pace from the usual goings on in Eastern District courtrooms.

Netflix plugin for ChromeOS hits v1.0.2, is an official release around the corner? Posted: 30 Jul 2011 09:48 PM PDT When Google Chromebooks started arriving without the Netflix streaming we'd been promised we were predictably bummed, but that may be rectified soon. While Chromebook owners attuned to beta channel updates first noticed an entry for a Netflix plugin last month, it still couldn't actually play movies and didn't appear on older, single-core Atom powered Cr-48 laptops. Fast forward to the present, where one of our friendly comment moderators, masterofrandom has spotted this updated v1.0.2 plugin lurking in the depths of his murdered out 12-incher. There's still no playback to be had, but we're figuring Netflix didn't update the version number past 1.0 because it's finally figured out the perfect queue management system. Chromebook owners or prospective owners (and by extension, Linux users) still awaiting Watch Instantly streaming -- your alert level is at Vermilion. [Thanks, masterofrandom]

Ask Engadget: what's the best deal in prepaid wireless? Posted: 30 Jul 2011 07:29 PM PDT We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Alejandro, who's looking to cash in on the sudden glut of absolutely respectable prepaid smartphones. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I'm looking to grab a new phone using a prepaid service. What's the best prepaid phone service in terms of overall price, phone selection and other bells / whistles. Thanks!" We're guessing he's looking for a smartphone here, so before you yell "Cricket!" and run for the hills, give a bit of consideration to folks like Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile, amongst others. Any of you had a particularly charming experience with a prepaid provider? Speak up in comments below!

Orange Switzerland is expecting Nokia's N9 on September 15th Posted: 30 Jul 2011 06:06 PM PDT Release date info for Nokia's sweet slab of Meego has been scarce, but now Orange Switzerland's webpage announces the N9 is coming its way September 15th. Last month Swedish carrier 3 Group promised it would arrive there September 23rd, while some retailer in Kazakhstan is apparently listing them for sale August 19th. We're not quite ready to whip out our passport and translator for a taste of the (not) zombie OS's brains yet, but we'll keep an eye out for any more release date information as it comes. [Thanks, StinkyFinger]

3DS NES Ambassador Program games will add multiplayer, other features Posted: 30 Jul 2011 04:28 PM PDT Nintendo really wants to make it up to those of you who already shelled out $250 for the 3DS, in light of the looming $80 price drop. You probably already knew that you'd be getting a pile of free NES games on September 1st, but you can also expect them to be updated and improved going forward. These aren't going to be half-hearted ports that get pushed out to early adopters, riddled with bugs, and forgotten. Sometime later this year, they'll be offered as payed versions through the eShop with features like multiplayer simultaneous play. The best part? Those eligible for the Ambassador Program will get free upgrades to retail version. One feature we can tell you wont be added though, is 3D -- the classic titles like Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. will remain blissfully two-dimensional.

iPhone price cuts hitting Radio Shack, Target tomorrow? Posted: 30 Jul 2011 03:01 PM PDT Let the speculation begin! It may not be a sign of an iPhone refresh, but we've received multiple tips today about an imminent price drop for Apple's flagship smartphone. According to a pair of trusty tipsters, Radio Shack is prepping to cut the cost of AT&T's 16GB iPhone 4 to $169.99, with a two-year contract, from $199.99. The 32GB version will likewise take a $30 plunge at the Shack, ringing in at $269.99, and the price of the 8GB 3GS will drop to $19.99. Phone Arena is likewise reporting on Target slicing up the old Apple price tag, but lists varying numbers based on carrier. If all this talk turns out to be true, those prices should be ripe for the picking starting tomorrow. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

DNA-based artificial neural network is a primitive brain in a test tube (video) Posted: 30 Jul 2011 01:36 PM PDT Many simpler forms of life on this planet, including some of our earliest ancestors, don't have proper brains. Instead they have networks of neurons that fire in response to stimuli, triggering reactions. Scientists from Caltech have actually figured out how to create such a primitive pre-brain using strands of DNA. Researchers, led by Lulu Qian, strung together DNA molecules to create bio-mechanical circuits. By sequencing the four bases of our genetic code in a particular way, they were able to program it to respond differently to various inputs. To prove their success the team quizzed the organic circuit, essentially playing 20 questions, feeding it clues to the identity of a particular scientist using more DNA strands. The artificial neural network nailed answer every time. Check out the PR and pair of videos that dig a little deeper into the experiment after the break. Show full PR text Caltech Researchers Create the First Artificial Neural Network Out of DNA PASADENA, Calif.-Artificial intelligence has been the inspiration for countless books and movies, as well as the aspiration of countless scientists and engineers. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have now taken a major step toward creating artificial intelligence-not in a robot or a silicon chip, but in a test tube. The researchers are the first to have made an artificial neural network out of DNA, creating a circuit of interacting molecules that can recall memories based on incomplete patterns, just as a brain can. "The brain is incredible," says Lulu Qian, a Caltech senior postdoctoral scholar in bioengineering and lead author on the paper describing this work, published in the July 21 issue of the journal Nature. "It allows us to recognize patterns of events, form memories, make decisions, and take actions. So we asked, instead of having a physically connected network of neural cells, can a soup of interacting molecules exhibit brainlike behavior?" The answer, as the researchers show, is yes. Consisting of four artificial neurons made from 112 distinct DNA strands, the researchers' neural network plays a mind-reading game in which it tries to identify a mystery scientist. The researchers "trained" the neural network to "know" four scientists, whose identities are each represented by a specific, unique set of answers to four yes-or-no questions, such as whether the scientist was British. After thinking of a scientist, a human player provides an incomplete subset of answers that partially identifies the scientist. The player then conveys those clues to the network by dropping DNA strands that correspond to those answers into the test tube. Communicating via fluorescent signals, the network then identifies which scientist the player has in mind. Or, the network can "say" that it has insufficient information to pick just one of the scientists in its memory or that the clues contradict what it has remembered. The researchers played this game with the network using 27 different ways of answering the questions (out of 81 total combinations), and it responded correctly each time. This DNA-based neural network demonstrates the ability to take an incomplete pattern and figure out what it might represent-one of the brain's unique features. "What we are good at is recognizing things," says coauthor Jehoshua "Shuki" Bruck, the Gordon and Betty Moore Professor of Computation and Neural Systems and Electrical Engineering. "We can recognize things based on looking only at a subset of features." The DNA neural network does just that, albeit in a rudimentary way. Biochemical systems with artificial intelligence-or at least some basic, decision-making capabilities-could have powerful applications in medicine, chemistry, and biological research, the researchers say. In the future, such systems could operate within cells, helping to answer fundamental biological questions or diagnose a disease. Biochemical processes that can intelligently respond to the presence of other molecules could allow engineers to produce increasingly complex chemicals or build new kinds of structures, molecule by molecule. "Although brainlike behaviors within artificial biochemical systems have been hypothesized for decades," Qian says, "they appeared to be very difficult to realize." The researchers based their biochemical neural network on a simple model of a neuron, called a linear threshold function. The model neuron receives input signals, multiplies each by a positive or negative weight, and only if the weighted sum of inputs surpass a certain threshold does the neuron fire, producing an output. This model is an oversimplification of real neurons, says paper coauthor Erik Winfree, professor of computer science, computation and neural systems, and bioengineering. Nevertheless, it's a good one. "It has been an extremely productive model for exploring how the collective behavior of many simple computational elements can lead to brainlike behaviors, such as associative recall and pattern completion." To build the DNA neural network, the researchers used a process called a strand-displacement cascade. Previously, the team developed this technique to create the largest and most complex DNA circuit yet, one that computes square roots. This method uses single and partially double-stranded DNA molecules. The latter are double helices, one strand of which sticks out like a tail. While floating around in a water solution, a single strand can run into a partially double-stranded one, and if their bases (the letters in the DNA sequence) are complementary, the single strand will grab the double strand's tail and bind, kicking off the other strand of the double helix. The single strand thus acts as an input while the displaced strand acts as an output, which can then interact with other molecules. Because they can synthesize DNA strands with whatever base sequences they want, the researchers can program these interactions to behave like a network of model neurons. By tuning the concentrations of every DNA strand in the network, the researchers can teach it to remember the unique patterns of yes-or-no answers that belong to each of the four scientists. Unlike with some artificial neural networks that can directly learn from examples, the researchers used computer simulations to determine the molecular concentration levels needed to implant memories into the DNA neural network. While this proof-of-principle experiment shows the promise of creating DNA-based networks that can-in essence-think, this neural network is limited, the researchers say. The human brain consists of 100 billion neurons, but creating a network with just 40 of these DNA-based neurons-ten times larger than the demonstrated network-would be a challenge, according to the researchers. Furthermore, the system is slow; the test-tube network took eight hours to identify each mystery scientist. The molecules are also used up-unable to detach and pair up with a different strand of DNA-after completing their task, so the game can only be played once. Perhaps in the future, a biochemical neural network could learn to improve its performance after many repeated games, or learn new memories from encountering new situations. Creating biochemical neural networks that operate inside the body-or even just inside a cell on a Petri dish-is also a long way away, since making this technology work in vivo poses an entirely different set of challenges. Beyond technological challenges, engineering these systems could also provide indirect insight into the evolution of intelligence. "Before the brain evolved, single-celled organisms were also capable of processing information, making decisions, and acting in response to their environment," Qian explains. The source of such complex behaviors must have been a network of molecules floating around in the cell. "Perhaps the highly evolved brain and the limited form of intelligence seen in single cells share a similar computational model that's just programmed in different substrates." "Our paper can be interpreted as a simple demonstration of neural-computing principles at the molecular and intracellular levels," Bruck adds. "One possible interpretation is that perhaps these principles are universal in biological information processing. "The research described in the Nature paper, "Neural network computation with DNA strand displacement cascades," is supported by a National Science Foundation grant to the Molecular Programming Project and by the Human Frontiers Science Program. View the researchers' videos (part 1, part 2) that explain their work.

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