Using nanotechnology, proteins and a chemical that powers cells in everything from trees to people, researchers have built a biological supercomputer.

The supercomputer, which is the size of a book, uses much less energy, so it runs cooler and more efficiently, according to scientists at McGill University, where the lead researchers on the project work.

“We’ve managed to create a very complex network in a very small area,” said Dan Nicolau Sr., chairman of the Department of Bioengineering at McGill. “This started as a back-of-an-envelope idea, after too much rum I think, with drawings of what looked like small worms exploring mazes.”

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