11–20 of 27 posts
Even if you can make it work, DNA stability is poor. I don't see why you wouldn't use a higher fidelity atomic storage solution.
I've often thought that if we ever decide to send nano spaceships filled with engineered DNA to populate other planets like spores we should include human knowledge in the DNA so when the spores turn into an advanced civilization they could read the DNA and learn about their progenitors.
I've often thought that if we ever decide to send nano spaceships filled with engineered DNA to populate other planets like spores we should include human knowledge in the DNA so when the spores turn into an advanced civilization they could read the DNA and learn about their progenitors.
Sounds like the plot to a scifi novel: Scientists discover that so-called junk DNA contains physics equations, along with what appears to be coordinates to a distant star system with an Earthlike planet.
I've often thought that if we ever decide to send nano spaceships filled with engineered DNA to populate other planets like spores we should include human knowledge in the DNA so when the spores turn into an advanced civilization they could read the DNA and learn about their progenitors.
[0] - http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_Chase_(episode)
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chase_(Star_Trek:_The_Next...
I've often thought that if we ever decide to send nano spaceships filled with engineered DNA to populate other planets like spores we should include human knowledge in the DNA so when the spores turn into an advanced civilization they could read the DNA and learn about their progenitors.
Do we need to keep the DNA away from bacteria? Would it not be digested for nutrients or food? Or is that just propaganda from the salesman pushing memory carbon for my looongterm data storage needs?
DNAse contamination would be a big problem too. It would also be a relatively easy way to "securely" erase your data.
Even if you can make it work, DNA stability is poor. I don't see why you wouldn't use a higher fidelity atomic storage solution.
You are seriously mistaken. At abient temperature, DNA is very stable. Even in an active environment as a human, it keeps quite stable for about 100 years. Isolated for multiple millenia. It is the reason we can sequence neanderthals etc nowadays. It wont be stable for millions of years but with some redundancy you could easily make it to 100.000
Even if you can make it work, DNA stability is poor. I don't see why you wouldn't use a higher fidelity atomic storage solution.
DNA stability is quite high. To the point where there is actually a movement to get scientists to stop freezing DNA for long term storage because it uses large amounts of energy for no reason.
I've often thought that if we ever decide to send nano spaceships filled with engineered DNA to populate other planets like spores we should include human knowledge in the DNA so when the spores turn into an advanced civilization they could read the DNA and learn about their progenitors.
Sounds like the plot to a scifi novel: Scientists discover that so-called junk DNA contains physics equations, along with what appears to be coordinates to a distant star system with an Earthlike planet.