“The mission of our lab is to make a new life form. We want to digitize chemistry, we want to build chemical computers.”

Lee Cronin,  a professor at the University of Glasgow, was born in the UK and was fascinated with science and technology from an early age getting his first computer and chemistry set when he was 8 years old. 

In this episode, he explains the Chemputer – a universally programmable device for synthesizing any molecule.  Development is ongoing and proof of concept has been achieved for several molecules.  He estimates that with the right components, it is capable of performing 95% of all organic chemical synthesis.

Music:

I Knew a Guy by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100199

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Remarks: The length of this recording has been altered. 

Session Summary: The First Programmable Turing Complete Chemical Computer | Lee Cronin, University of Glasgow - Foresight Institute

The Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. Since our founding in 1987 on a vision of guiding powerful technologies, we have continued to evolve into a many-armed organization that focuses on several fields of science and technology that are too ambitious for legacy institutions to support.

Allison Duettmann is the president and CEO of Foresight Institute. She directs the Intelligent Cooperation, Molecular Machines, Biotech & Health Extension, Neurotech, and Space Programs, Fellowships, Prizes, and Tech Trees, and shares this work with the public. She founded Existentialhope.com, co-edited Superintelligence: Coordination & Strategy, co-authored Gaming the Future, and co-initiated The Longevity Prize. 

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