To add in to the data portion in plants this is entirely possible but the reasons to do it for most things aren’t there. All code at the end of the day boils down to a 1 or a 0 and DNA boils down to 2 letters (technically 4 but they are supposed to always match with their partner letters so functionally 2) and these 2 letters can be assigned to the 1 or 0 value. With CRISPR there isn’t a reason we CAN’T put a specific sequence or data into a plant as long as it either doesn’t use that nonsense DNA to make anything or if we don’t actually care about it living.
Now just because we can doesn’t mean we will or that it’s useful. It would be much harder to read this DNA compared regular memory on your computer and much more costly too. At best it might serve as a kind of biological trade mark for genetically engineered specimens? I’m struggling to see the application of it but I can’t claim to be an expert but as far as it being possible it definitely has been for probably longer than you think now
Swollwonder t1_j1236k8 wrote
Reply to How realistic is “The future of” on Netflix? by alakeya
To add in to the data portion in plants this is entirely possible but the reasons to do it for most things aren’t there. All code at the end of the day boils down to a 1 or a 0 and DNA boils down to 2 letters (technically 4 but they are supposed to always match with their partner letters so functionally 2) and these 2 letters can be assigned to the 1 or 0 value. With CRISPR there isn’t a reason we CAN’T put a specific sequence or data into a plant as long as it either doesn’t use that nonsense DNA to make anything or if we don’t actually care about it living.
Now just because we can doesn’t mean we will or that it’s useful. It would be much harder to read this DNA compared regular memory on your computer and much more costly too. At best it might serve as a kind of biological trade mark for genetically engineered specimens? I’m struggling to see the application of it but I can’t claim to be an expert but as far as it being possible it definitely has been for probably longer than you think now