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[IcyTea31]

Wasn't that idea already proposed a couple years back? I still believe that shutting down coal plants and such would be a more efficient way to fight against climate change than causing a volcanic winter.

[Kagus]

I still believe that shutting down coal plants and such would be a more efficient way to fight against climate change than causing a volcanic winter.

Ah yes, but sulphur dioxide is a natural waste product of the fossil fuel industry. One that, under current legislation, is strictly controlled.

So if we were to adopt a new mode of thinking where SO₂ in the atmosphere is actually good and desirable, then coal power plants can loosen expensive regulations and maybe even get a little kickback for being so nice and helping the environment!


Still no nuclear power though, that would be irresponsible.

[wierd]

Those same scrubbers also help eliminate uranium being released in the coal ash.

SOOOO environmentally friendly!  SOOOO much safer than nuclear! /s

[wierd]

So, this came up over at Slashdot today.

https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/613158/microsoft-just-booted-up-the-first-dna-drive-for-storing-data/

The process is slow in its writing operations, and seems pretty limited in the length of dna segments that can be written, but this plus some infamous techniques like CRISPR and some yeast, could make the DEA's job literally impossible to enforce.

The built-in reader would be useful for ensuring the written gene sequences are correct before mass replication in a flask.


Some pretty dangerous shit could be made with a setup that small.   I am glad it has issues with speed of synthesis, because if this was the combination of inexpensive, fast, and portable, this would be very bad news.

[sluissa]

DNA stored data...

I think we're going to need some better anti-virus software.

[methylatedspirit]

So if I put every post I've made onto a DNA drive, then ate said DNA drive, would I be eating my own words?

[IcyTea31]

Some pretty dangerous shit could be made with a setup that small.

I don't really understand how this would be any more dangerous than any other compact storage medium, especially when it comes to illegal drugs. We already have small enough media to fit hundreds of gigabytes in the palm of one's hand, and it's not like any customs office asks you to pull out the SD card from your camera to show it doesn't have anything illegal on it.

[wierd]

CRISPR/CAS is an enzyme process, that can theoretically be done in a beaker.

The point is that you can perform arbitrary gene sequence synthesis on the cheap, then verify the synthesized sequence, also on the cheap.

this means you can input data that translates to the sequences used for say-- botulinum toxin's pathway-- and insert it into yeasts, then disperse them into the wild.  The results would be horrific.

All kinds of terrible shit could be made with this by people who realize that you can take the DNA this thing generates and drop it in a flask with amino acids and a specific enzyme, and get billions of copies for gene editing with.

[Egan_BW]

this means you can input data that translates to the sequences used for say-- botulinum toxin's pathway-- and insert it into yeasts, then disperse them into the wild.  The results would be horrific.

What exactly does the word "insert" entail here? That sounds like the hard part to me.

[Kagus]

this means you can input data that translates to the sequences used for say-- botulinum toxin's pathway-- and insert it into yeasts, then disperse them into the wild.  The results would be horrific.

What exactly does the word "insert" entail here? That sounds like the hard part to me.

Well it's certainly a lot more difficult to insert when it isn't hard, let me tell you!

[wierd]

Fluffy piece on CRISPR/CAS9

https://www.addgene.org/crispr/guide/

Basically, it's a tool to cut a DNA strand at a specific location, so that you can either delete a gene, or insert one.

You would insert one using Homology Directed Repair (HDR), and the like.

The linked article gives a nice explanation.  Since the difficult part is usually the synthesis portion, (you need to synthesize a suitable repair template, as well as a suitable site specific RNA to direct CAS9 to the site you want to cut the DNA for the insertion-- This latter can be accomplished in a dish as well, once you have a validated DNA sequence you have synthesized for it.) and this scary little tool does all that work for you without requiring human intervention in the steps (one of its selling points), you just need to know where in the target's genome you want to make the insertion, and then deliver the goods into the target cell. (there are a number of ways to do that, but meh.)

[IcyTea31]

I understand (roughly) how modern genetic engineering techniques work, but how does the specific method of storing arbitrary data in DNA make drug law impossible to enforce, any more than storing arbitrary data on, say, a thumbstick?

[Egan_BW]

I think that what wierd is saying is that it has applications for more than data storage. It's a fully automated way to synthesise arbitrary DNA from computer data. Making it easier for any old someone to genetically modify something.

[Trekkin]

I think that what wierd is saying is that it has applications for more than data storage. It's a fully automated way to synthesise arbitrary DNA from computer data. Making it easier for any old someone to genetically modify something.

Yeah, not that it was exactly hard before; gene synthesis has gotten really cheap over the years even without this device, particularly at scale.

wierd is eliding enough difficulties in actually producing arbitrary biomolecules from inserted genes to constitute an entire field of science (that field being synthetic biology) but amateurs have been clutching their pearls over small incremental improvements in biotech for a long time now, since they look bigger when you don't see all the little steps in between. In this particular case, he appears to be suggesting that someone create yeast that can synthesize things like tetrahydrocannabinol, which is...doable but not particularly useful in terms of yield, particularly in a garage setup.

In short, it's not really that much more possible for Bad People (tm) to make Bad Things (tm) with this device than without it.

[Bumber]

I understand (roughly) how modern genetic engineering techniques work, but how does the specific method of storing arbitrary data in DNA make drug law impossible to enforce, any more than storing arbitrary data on, say, a thumbstick?

Thumbsticks can't synthesize material on their own.

In this particular case, he appears to be suggesting that someone create yeast that can synthesize things like tetrahydrocannabinol, which is...doable but not particularly useful in terms of yield, particularly in a garage setup.

Some drugs are more potent than others.