Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Synthetic DNA is a New Hope for Alien Life on Earth

     So what is XNA (xeno nucleic acid)? DNA and RNA are formed of components known as nucleic acids. XNA is any of the chemical analogues resembling DNA but formed of alternative or unknown nucleic acids. While most XNA is unstable, a form well known to research scientists in the field of synthetic life is known to be stable, this is PNA.
     While PNA isn't prevalent on Earth, it is a more likely candidate for spontaneous generation than DNA. Researchers in Xenobiology believe that it is possible to construct all of the parts of a cell to encode, transcribe, and edit XNA. Some of them believe that this is a threshold for science to offer a more optimized model for life. An artificial life-form. A new, and unknown life-form. This is, essentially, alien life made by the hand of mankind.
      There is a large body of work for xenogenetics, or nucleic acid analogues as they are also called, but there is little reason to believe that XNA-based components can mimic all functions of DNA-based components in cellular life at this point. Certain XNA's are valuable right now as sensor components in DNA research. Adding a florescent compound to XNA that encodes a particular DNA strand can isolate binding sites that match the target DNA.
     XNA also may have value as a chemical encoding of information. DNA computing has been proven to be efficient, and can yield results from complicated information. DNA and RNA break down from biological interference, however. XNA is less vulnerable. Some forms of XNA can encode DNA sequences, or other information long term. Once decoded, a wealth of information can be transmitted at a molecular level.
     Molecular computing with XNA could yield some surprises. If efficient processes were developed to electronically manipulate metal ligand XNA as a nanobot, and then such XNA could interface with normal computers as well, and if the electrical properties were sufficiently predictable to encode signals, and a reliable mechanism was in place to decode them, XNA could be a super-computing material.
     Regardless of what is done with XNA, it will likely create few surprises for our future. I personally look forward to what can be done. Embrace the future, and brace yourself for surprises.

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Synthetic DNA is a New Hope for Alien Life on Earth

     So what is XNA (xeno nucleic acid)? DNA and RNA are formed of components known as nucleic acids. XNA is any of the chemical analogues r...