
Genetic system performs logic operations and stores data in DNA - ananyob
http://www.nature.com/news/how-to-turn-living-cells-into-computers-1.12406
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adobriyan
It'd be thrilling to watch if evolution invents cryptographically signed DNA
to prevent malicious viruses, plasmids and what not from using cell's
reproduction machinery.

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wcoenen
I was confused by your comment for a moment. Then I realized that you probably
don't know that there already exist natural viruses which hijack bacteria by
injecting their own DNA.

Wherever you find bacteria, you also find these bacteriophages. They co-evolve
with their host in a never-ending arms race of defenses and counters. No
asymmetric crypto though :-)

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage>

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arethuza
And way up there on the creepy/cool scale there are viruses that incorporate
themselves into the DNA that is passed from generation to generation:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus>

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steeve
DNA as storage, and now DNA as logic gates. But is there any benefit for using
DNA for anything non biology related?

For instance, one would think works for using atoms themselves as storage
would yield a far superior logical/physical size ratio.

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ajuc
I don't know if this will ever be possible, I hope it will be:

You engineer some harmless bacteria to start glowing if it encounters
cancerous cell. You take pill with such bacteria, then you look at your poop.
If it glows - you go to doctor. If no - you take such pill half a year later.
Most cancers can be cured if detected so early.

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jfarmer
<http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101006/full/467650a.html>

"For now, most members of the do-it-yourself, or DIY, biology community are
hobbyists, rigging up cheap equipment and tackling projects that — although
not exactly pushing the boundaries of molecular biology — are creative proof
of the hacker principle. Meredith Patterson, a computer programmer based in
San Francisco, California, whom some call the 'doyenne of DIYbio', made glow-
in-the-dark yogurt by engineering the bacteria within to produce a fluorescent
protein. Others hope to learn more about themselves: a group called
DIYgenomics has banded together to analyse their genomes, and even conduct and
participate in small clinical trials. For those who aspire to change the
world, improving biofuel development is a popular draw. And several groups are
focused on making standard instruments — such as PCR machines, which amplify
segments of DNA — cheaper and easier to use outside the confines of a
laboratory, ultimately promising to make DIYbio more accessible."

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mtp0101
wow... doesn't even run CoD... #ignore

