Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel
Quotes from Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel
"If, in the future, all life is programmable, those with the right knowledge and capability will be in possession of unfathomable power. They could create life, and tweak existing life forms, to do almost anything - be it good or bad."
219
"Cells are universal, elegant machines that transmit information. Although they act like computers - storing, retrieving, and processing data - they look nothing like one."
220
"If we could manipulate cells - the basic building bricks of life - then we could direct the machines to do our bidding."
221
"Proteins are the molecules that execute commands within cells; proteins called enzymes catalyze chemical reactions. This linked series of reactions form a metabolic pathway, where the product of one reaction becomes the input for the next. Which genes are expressed and when - on or off - represents the flow of biological information."
222
"Are humans just squishy machines? Could cells be programmed like computers? Could computers be redesigned from biological parts?"
223
"It's clear why DNA data storage is an attractive position: the world generates a staggering amount of information each year. The optical, magnetic, and solid-state memories in use today cannot keep pace for much longer. Gargantuan amounts of information can be stored in a miniscule amount of DNA: just one gram can store over 200 million DVDs worth of information."
224