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Nature's Machines in Cells
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1. Can the cell machinery do more than just copy a chromosome or virus?
2. Does a cell, (or type of cell), have the ability to write new code?
3. Can a cell be modified to accept external commands and write data to
DNA?
Types of DNA Printers
Organic Enzyme Type Printers with Error Checking
Inorganic substrate with organic overlay Similar to early life?
Hydrogen Bond Transistors Controlling a single hydrogen bond, very tricky.
Carbon Tube Technology that is correctly terminated, binding it at the
proper point of a structure.
Drawing the DNA Strand through an interface between wet and dry, or
wet with chemicals and just wet with water. This simplifies the interactions
with the complexities of the soup. The DNA molecule will spontaneously
assemble but randomly and uncontrolled. What is the strength of the strand?
The strand will need to be rotated as it is pulled. A molecular DNA turning
lathe is on sale at Sears. AAaaarggh
All solutions run into the same problem! We do not have tools that will
operate at this molecular level. The atomic force microscope is nearly
useless, it is like writing on a matchbook cover with a pencil the size of a
redwood. Plus it can only work on surface, or exposed atoms. It might be
able to disassemble an organic printer atom by atom to see how it is built.
Writing in DNA is not trivial and human technology is not currently
capable of quickly writing information using the chemistry of DNA. Ideally
the organic structure would be responsive to light or electricity so writing the
information from a digital database would encounter minimal delays. (This
may be reversed the chemical reactions may be faster than many computers)
The biological writing structures in a cell might be altered by a virus to
accept something other than DNA or RNA for transcription. The code we
write needs to be segregated away from the cells operating DNA. We don't
want our information killing our DNA scribe.
A cellular DNA scribe that has its own BIOS. This Cell would also
have a segregated Code Storage area.
This has all happened before...
Yep, this headache sure feels familiar.
2. Does a cell, (or type of cell), have the ability to write new code?
3. Can a cell be modified to accept external commands and write data to
DNA?
Types of DNA Printers
Organic Enzyme Type Printers with Error Checking
Inorganic substrate with organic overlay Similar to early life?
Hydrogen Bond Transistors Controlling a single hydrogen bond, very tricky.
Carbon Tube Technology that is correctly terminated, binding it at the
proper point of a structure.
Drawing the DNA Strand through an interface between wet and dry, or
wet with chemicals and just wet with water. This simplifies the interactions
with the complexities of the soup. The DNA molecule will spontaneously
assemble but randomly and uncontrolled. What is the strength of the strand?
The strand will need to be rotated as it is pulled. A molecular DNA turning
lathe is on sale at Sears. AAaaarggh
All solutions run into the same problem! We do not have tools that will
operate at this molecular level. The atomic force microscope is nearly
useless, it is like writing on a matchbook cover with a pencil the size of a
redwood. Plus it can only work on surface, or exposed atoms. It might be
able to disassemble an organic printer atom by atom to see how it is built.
Writing in DNA is not trivial and human technology is not currently
capable of quickly writing information using the chemistry of DNA. Ideally
the organic structure would be responsive to light or electricity so writing the
information from a digital database would encounter minimal delays. (This
may be reversed the chemical reactions may be faster than many computers)
The biological writing structures in a cell might be altered by a virus to
accept something other than DNA or RNA for transcription. The code we
write needs to be segregated away from the cells operating DNA. We don't
want our information killing our DNA scribe.
A cellular DNA scribe that has its own BIOS. This Cell would also
have a segregated Code Storage area.
This has all happened before...
Yep, this headache sure feels familiar.