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ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff https://t.co/M33XucdfRz
I don't have any idea what one would do with this technology because it never even occurred to me that it was possible to do this https://t.co/VQs8Hpyk8n
blah blah information storage who cares ok so heres whats up these are DNA polymerases a DNA polymerase is an enzyme (complex? I havent studied this in like fifteen years). what it does basically is it copies strands of dna https://t.co/dIchF0hydo https://t.co/bbWjaq9Afy
all the DNA that operates in your body is whats called "D-DNA" D for "dexter" ie right-handed basically its coiled in a specific direction, ie from a standard axis it coils "right" as far as i know all DNA in living creatures is D-DNA
its often the case in organic chemistry and biology that a molecule will be "chiral" ie "handed" the basic idea is that if you were to take a mirror image of a chiral molecule and superimpose it on the opposite mirror image they wouldnt match up https://t.co/KJ62BwOQ3g
this is boring as hell but it has a lot of implications for biochemistry. among other things because enzymes in your body operate in three dimensions, typically only one version of a molecule will be produced in a given enzymatic reaction
this is why for example it would be very difficult for me to synthesize cocaine in my crawlspace. cocaine is not a complicated molecule but its super-chiral and unless I used enzymes to make it most of the cocaine produced wouldnt actually work in my body https://t.co/ZDF15oMIvI
but because the cocoa plant uses enzymes to make cocaine in a specific 3D way all of the cocaine in its leaves is "bioactive", ie when you take a line off a strippers ass 100% of it will match up with various 3D receptors in your brain
so why is building an enzyme that copies mirror DNA a big deal well as i mentioned before enzymes typically only work on one specific mirror version (one "isomer") of a molecule because they have a three dimensional operating mechanism and the wrong isomer doesnt fit it
take a moment to ponder how ugly complicated this enzyme is. I am reemphasizing that this is a representation of DNA polymerase (most colors) working on copying some DNA (purple bits) https://t.co/fY9t1y61JP
keep in mind that the enzyme itself isnt "bulky" exactly. its a long fused thread of amino acids with different areas of chemical sensitivity, and to the extent that the amino acid thread is holding itself together it is often by incredibly tenuous bonds
in order to get a protein to even work as intended it has to be printed off of DNA (LONG STORY) and then typically folded into the correct shape by other proteins if the folding goes badly usually it just doesnt work as an enzyme and gets chopped up
(occasionally for certain enzymes if the folding goes very badly it turns itself into an enzyme whose function is to turn working enzymes into misfolded enzymes and oh shit now you are going to die) https://t.co/uoRI348Zwx
all of this is to say that the sons of bitches who published this have managed to take an unfathomably complex and incredibly delicate molecular machine developed over god knows how many millions of years such that its orientation is the same in all known life,
a few end notes the reason they want to make a "DNase" ie an enzyme that chops up DNA is because all of the existing DNases only work on D-DNA and so if they keep making this shit it will be hard to dispose of elegantly I guess? https://t.co/ZrhoUdVRVa
RNA polymerase is a molecule that goes down a DNA strand and translates the DNA into instructions for making protein. they made a left hand version of this too apparently https://t.co/IVRzAxYqbf
ribosomes are enormous multi-part protein machines that take RNA and turn it into proteins left is sort of what ours looks like, right is a bacterial version I guess they're making these next https://t.co/uE9ZMFNsyf
overall I dont know what the fuck is going on but the fact that this is not only possible but an accomplished feat is making me think that molecular biology is way more advanced than is commonly understood and things are gonna get Weird real real fast good luck out there
"why is this named so and so" biology is a field full of sickos. for example they named a gene that mutates and kills people "Sonic Hedgehog" as a joke and now doctors have to tell moms their kid is dying because of a sonic hedgehog mutation https://t.co/KJGV1ESpbz
they would probably be like us but we couldnt eat them. and vice versa. I mean we could but maybe a bunch of the molecules would be the wrong chirality so we couldnt digest them with our enzymes https://t.co/gyJWU9PJLa
my guess is none although it would be weird if idk some invert engineered autotroph escaped and somehow started competing with R-DNA autotrophs and outcompeted them because nothing would eat them and oh shit now we die I guess? https://t.co/r0KhtHqfJO
I dont have the slightest clue maybe? I guess inverted prions would probably be safer https://t.co/NF4BEs2Aks
im inclined to extend benefit of the doubt here because theyre claiming (i) to have actually built something that (ii) doesnt contravene laws of physics as they currently exist and (iii) has no obvious political valence but yes who knows it may be trash https://t.co/A3SAoxST0M
update probably real https://t.co/j0qggMtbXP
as far as applications we're like a hop skip and a jump from solving climate change and peak oil in a fell swoop [joke tweet] https://t.co/JwYSXw7U6G
gonna pat myself on the back for apparently independently deriving a standard view of the ecological dangers of mirror life so yes if mirror cyanobacteria escaped from a lab we would probably all die fortunately biology labs are proven extremely secure https://t.co/KmAc9nhLZ8
heres the Wikipedia article https://t.co/GKCTet6kxA
an upside of a mirror cyanobacteria escape and population explosion would be that huge quantities of CO2 would be extracted from the atmosphere, solving global warning apart from the mass extinction of R-DNA life there may other minor side effects https://t.co/smFhoSxSzz
@eigenrobot noooooo second use of this gif today in relation to large-scale novel biological hazards https://t.co/SVe6SFGusT
@eigenrobot I'm in the thick of it. Been exploring metabolic ties between wound/muscle healing, neurogenesis and cancer apoptosis.The rabbit hole goes deep.https://t.co/XS3iwOfqCC
@eigenrobot Yes. https://t.co/zyL7XTZvGg
@eigenrobot I am now investigating overlap of pikachurin and knuckles.https://t.co/sDtSiNregv
Sorry mam, but your child reeks of sonic hedgehog. We also found a fox 'n sox mutations. Someone seemed to have put him in a t-box for a while. Now their brain is rotting. Tho we might be able to prevent his heart from failing by investigating his Pikachurin.
@eigenrobot One of the bad guys in Change Agent by Suarez is a fully chirally reversed human who is therefore invulnerable to most biological agents…a little out there, but chirally reversed bacteria could be quite powerful…