Computer chips help control nearly everything, from clocks to cars. Soon, chips may even help to control your health! Scientists in San Francisco have invented a computer chip smaller and thinner than a hair. This chip actually combines with a human cell to control the cell's activity. That may not sound like a big deal to you, but the activity of cells in your body combine to control all of your body's functions, including the way you breathe, eat and think.
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Scientists Create the First "Cell-Chip"
Normally, our cells open and close on their own, allowing fluid and material through their thin membranes. If a cell is sick, it may need help knowing when and how to perform this vital function. That's where the "cell-chips" come in, allowing scientists to open and close those membranes themselves by sending tiny electric signals to the chip with a computer.
Boris Rubinsky, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, believes the cell-chip will make it easier to repair human cells. "We can do that without bothering other cells that might be around," he said.
Before the cell-chip's invention, scientists knew that they could affect cell membranes with electricity, but it took many years of trial and error to figure out exactly how much of a charge would cause a certain effect. "In the past, any electricity applied to the cell was like hitting it with a hammer in the hopes that something would happen. Now, we can really control how to make it work," Rubinsky said.
Researchers hope to develop different kinds of cell-chips to repair and improve everything from muscles to bones to the brain, but it's still in a very early stage. It'll be a while before programming human cells will be as easy as programming a VCR, but this is an important first step in controlling the human body from the inside out.
from Time for Kids