Douglas Steinberg | Dec 10, 2000 | 8 min read
Credit: William Jacobs, Albert Einstein College of MedicineTuberculosis bacterium The battles that scientists wage against bacteria and viruses resemble chess matches between grandmasters and supercomputers. Highly intelligent people are pitted against entities that aren't conscious but that nevertheless hold two big advantages. Populated by hosts of individually sensitive microchips or microorganisms, these entities can react with lightning speed. And tutored intensively by computer programmers