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DNA is maybe 60-750MB of data
While answering how much information is in DNA may seem straightforward, it actually requires a wild odyssey through information theory and molecular biology.
We’ll meet some strange characters, including genomic compression algorithms based on deep learning, retrotransposons, and Kolmogorov complexity. Ultimately, I’ll argue that the intuitive idea of information in a genome is best captured by a new definition of a “bit”—one that’s unknowable with our current level of scientific knowledge. Longevity folks are interested in activating these mechanisms in other tissues to fight aging, but this is risky since the body seems to intentionally limit telomere repair as a strategy to prevent cancer cells from growing out of control.
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