What I do and do not know about DNA
What I do know about DNA:
-everyone has it
-it is the 'building blocks of life'
-DNA stands for Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid
-proteins form chains that link up along two lines, and the two lines and protein hooks form a double helix
-the order and type of proteins that a person has determines their physical, mental and maybe emotional characteristics
-it took scientists forever to map the human genome but they finally got it done
-you can analyze someone's DNA to figure out if they're susceptible to certain diseases
-some doctors have tried curing diseases by altering DNA but so far have only succeeded in killing their patients this way
What I don't know about DNA:
-if you could program nanobots to dismantle specific proteins in a human DNA chain
-if you could then release said nanobots into the American water supply
-if people, upon drinking the water, would eventually discover that they had been rendered unable to have children
-if, upon discovering this massive act of nanobot bioterrorism, the nation could pull together a repository of non messed-with human DNA and grow children out of it
So, one really awesome thing about writing a short story is I get reaffirmation of how much I don't know. My mom suggested perhaps I might do some research. Or stick to not sci-fi. Both are good ideas. I'm committed to finishing, so I guess research it is. Unless any of you lovely readers know any of the things I don't? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
-everyone has it
-it is the 'building blocks of life'
-DNA stands for Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid
-proteins form chains that link up along two lines, and the two lines and protein hooks form a double helix
-the order and type of proteins that a person has determines their physical, mental and maybe emotional characteristics
-it took scientists forever to map the human genome but they finally got it done
-you can analyze someone's DNA to figure out if they're susceptible to certain diseases
-some doctors have tried curing diseases by altering DNA but so far have only succeeded in killing their patients this way
What I don't know about DNA:
-if you could program nanobots to dismantle specific proteins in a human DNA chain
-if you could then release said nanobots into the American water supply
-if people, upon drinking the water, would eventually discover that they had been rendered unable to have children
-if, upon discovering this massive act of nanobot bioterrorism, the nation could pull together a repository of non messed-with human DNA and grow children out of it
So, one really awesome thing about writing a short story is I get reaffirmation of how much I don't know. My mom suggested perhaps I might do some research. Or stick to not sci-fi. Both are good ideas. I'm committed to finishing, so I guess research it is. Unless any of you lovely readers know any of the things I don't? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
posted by walkinhomefromthethriftstore at 5:45 AM
4 Comments:
"Um, he's sick."
Nanobots seems like an elaborate way to go about the premise--thing one, the question about relative sizes of nanobots versus DNA (maybe going after chromosomes entire rather than DNA strands individual), and thing two, designing nanobots seems pretty labor-intensive, so it would work mostly if nanobots were so common anyway that nobody noticed a few more getting tweaked. There's at least one story I remember that postulated a virus that made people infertile, and the ensuing race to identify and secure each nation's remaining uninfected women. So...feasible as a story, but maybe some logistical handwaving is in order.
on points 1 & 2 of what you don't know, i think the beauty of the nanotech/nanobot situation is that it is not a finite area of research... so in the sci-fi future, sure, it's possible.
points 3 & 4, however... well, i don't even know as much as you do about DNA...
The reason I figured they had to be nanobots is cuz I figured they could attack specific DNA, i.e. American DNA, and that the creators don't want to kill the current generation, just the next one. So a virus would be bad because they have that icky tendency to cross international borders. And if you can program nanobots to eat DNA, then you could program them to not work outside of certain boundaries, maybe. Also, I know it's a long shot, but I don't want the story to be about Securing The Women, but rather about how new children would become exponentially more valuable. Or something something. Note re: chromosomes: taken! (And note to self: look up chromosomes. Or call smarter sister and pester her with dumb girl questions.)
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