372 | Erik Winfree on DNA Computers and Robots

Sean Carroll talks with Erik Winfree, a Caltech computer scientist and bioengineer, about building computers and robots out of DNA. The conversation starts from the idea that a computer is anything that takes in input, processes information, and produces output — not just a silicon chip — and explores why DNA is a promising computational substrate. Winfree's research uses DNA's natural information storage and programmability to create tiny devices that perform tasks. The episode highlights what this molecular approach could mean for future biology and medicine.