In a biological system, the software builds its own hardware, but design is critical, and if you start with digital information, it has to be really accurate.

In a biological system, the software builds its own hardware, but design is critical, and if you start with digital information, it has to be really accurate.

The pace of digitizing life has been increasing exponentially.

The pace of digitizing life has been increasing exponentially.

The pace of digitizing life has been increasing exponentially.

There are enzymes called restriction enzymes that actually digest DNA.

There are enzymes called restriction enzymes that actually digest DNA.

There are enzymes called restriction enzymes that actually digest DNA.

Mathematicians have been hiding and writing messages in the genetic code for a long time, but it's clear they were mathematicians and not biologists because, if you write long messages with the code that the mathematicians developed, it would more than likely lead to new proteins being synthesized with unknown functions.

Mathematicians have been hiding and writing messages in the genetic code for a long time, but it's clear they were mathematicians and not biologists because, if you write long messages with the code that the mathematicians developed, it would more than likely lead to new proteins being synthesized with unknown functions.

Mathematicians have been hiding and writing messages in the genetic code for a long time, but it's clear they were mathematicians and not biologists because, if you write long messages with the code that the mathematicians developed, it would more than likely lead to new proteins being synthesized with unknown functions.

Early on, when you're working in a new area of science, you have to think about all the pitfalls and things that could lead you to believe that you had done something when you hadn't, and, even worse, leading others to believe it.

Early on, when you're working in a new area of science, you have to think about all the pitfalls and things that could lead you to believe that you had done something when you hadn't, and, even worse, leading others to believe it.

Early on, when you're working in a new area of science, you have to think about all the pitfalls and things that could lead you to believe that you had done something when you hadn't, and, even worse, leading others to believe it.

We're moving from reading the genetic code to writing it.

We're moving from reading the genetic code to writing it.

We're moving from reading the genetic code to writing it.

We can now diagnose diseases that haven't even manifested in the patient, and may not until the fifth decade of life - if at all.

We can now diagnose diseases that haven't even manifested in the patient, and may not until the fifth decade of life - if at all.

We can now diagnose diseases that haven't even manifested in the patient, and may not until the fifth decade of life - if at all.

I naively thought that we could have a molecular definition for life, come up with a set of genes that would minimally define life. Nature just refuses to be so easily quantified.

I naively thought that we could have a molecular definition for life, come up with a set of genes that would minimally define life. Nature just refuses to be so easily quantified.

I naively thought that we could have a molecular definition for life, come up with a set of genes that would minimally define life. Nature just refuses to be so easily quantified.

There's a constant debate over nature or nurture - they're inseparable.