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Where will it all end? Circuits in some densely packed chips are already so close that there is sometimes electron leakage between conductors—interfering with the proper working of the chip. Is technology fast reaching the limit of miniaturization? Computer scientists think not. They point to the stupendous amounts of data contained, for example, in a DNA molecule—or in one-celled animals and plants that are visible only under a microscope. Says M.I.T.'s Michael Dertouzos:
"Even the amoeba is a far smaller and far more powerful information processor than today's best chips." If nature can do it, scientists feel challenged to try it too. ∙