Posts Tagged ‘Computers’

DNA and Computers. Randall Niles dives into the Digital Code inherent in all living things. The DNA molecule is one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time. First described by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, DNA is the famous storehouse of genetics that establishes each organism’s physical characteristics. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a double-stranded molecule that is twisted into a helix structure (similar to a spiral staircase). The DNA molecule is comprised of chemical bases arranged in approximately 3 billion precise sequences. Even the DNA molecule for the single-celled bacterium, E. coli, contains enough information to fill an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica. The four bases that make up the stairs in the spiraling staircase are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). These stairs act as the “letters” in the genetic alphabet, producing detailed instructions for the formation and functioning of the host cell. The A, T, C and G in the genetic code of the DNA molecule can be compared to the “0″ and “1″ in the binary code of computer software. Like software to a computer, DNA is a genetic language that communicates information to organic matter. Although DNA code is remarkably complex, the information translation system that interprets DNA is what really baffles science! Like any language, letters and words mean nothing outside the shared convention that gives those letters and words meaning. Indeed, the DNA molecule is an …
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