Wet Code

This article, asking if DNA will ever replace silicon chips, appeared in The Guardian yesterday.  Their conclusion? No – which sucks, from my point of view.  I’ve been working on/off on a sci-fi screenplay based around DNA computing for a couple of months (blogging is my new displacement activity). 

The Guardian only scratches the surface of the brave new world of DNA or ‘wet’ coding.  The question of whether genes can replace silicon is a symptom of the fact that biology and computing are converging at a surprising rate.  Code is the key.  Computers work in binary, 1s and 0s.  DNA works in codes built of four letters, GATC.  (Remember the film Gattaca ?  Turns out that’s a clever title.)  If we can learn and harness that code we can reprogram DNA, which is at once brilliant and absolutely terrifying.

One man leading the way in genetic coding is Craig Venter.  You may not know the name now, but I’m pretty sure everyone on the planet will in 20 years or less.  He’s going to be richer than Bill Gates.  His company is currently working on a synthetic life-form that will feed on CO2 and excrete fuel.  His response to a man who asked if he was playing God?

‘My dear sir, I’m not playing.’

The mighty TED will explain all this better than me.  Forgive me if I fall back to TED several times in my posts.  I urge everyone to go and have look around their video archive.  It’s more informative and inspirational than anything on TV.  Except David Attenborough (all hail).

Juan Enriquez knows about the future of code:

Craig Venter is already digitising DNA:

and Alan Russell wants to regenerate our bodies: