With the current development of modern space travel technologies, the road to Mars will take a very long time. But scientists from the Californian company Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI) propose to use something like a "digital teleport" to transport primitive life forms. They managed to create and successfully test a device capable of replicating the DNA of a living organism, following the instructions sent.
In a series of experiments, the specialists managed to print a viable influenza virus. It is worth noting that mankind has managed to artificially recreate the virus before, but it was the first time to do it automatically only with the participation of a machine. The researchers themselves from Synthetic Genomics Inc. call their invention "digital biological converter".
Now the "converter" is just a prototype tested at a short distance, but in the future, with the help of this device, according to experts, in this way it will be possible to transmit biological information from the focus of the disease to vaccine manufacturers, print the necessary drugs directly in medical institutions and even teleport primitive life forms from Earth to Mars.
The main element of the device is the BioXP 3200 DNA printer. After receiving digital instructions, the printer begins to “collect” DNA molecules from previously prepared chemicals. By the way, the idea of using a DNA printer to "send" life forms to Mars is not out of the blue: SGI founder Craig Venter has already discussed this possibility with SpaceX project manager Elon Musk.
BioXP 3200 DNA Printer
The emergence of the idea of such a use of a DNA printer also looks interesting. In March 2017, the Chinese authorities announced an outbreak of the H7N7 virus and published data on its DNA on the Web. A few days later, SGI was able to synthesize the genes of the virus, and then use them to synthesize a vaccine on another device. This is how the idea appeared to combine elements of different devices into one and add the function of "printing on command from outside". As one of the executives of Synthetic Genomics Inc. says, “For almost 10 years we have been dreaming about the possibility of transmitting living organisms by fax.
Our "digital biological converter" can be what the invention of the machine was during the industrial revolution."
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Vladimir Kuznetsov
