The Word Made Flesh -- Reflections on Recent Advances in DNA Data Encoding

[UPDATE I: I wrote this post before becoming aware of a lead article on WND today about Bill and Melinda Gates' involvement with the modern eugenics movement, "marking the 100th year since the First International Eugenics Congress in London with a “family planning” summit with abortionists and the United Nations." More on the original IEC (1912-1932) here. Chilling would be a gross understatement. Related: Georgia Guidestones.]

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GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth… 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good…

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” … 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds – -livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

[Note the giving, and the limited purpose. Man was not given a license to re-architect.]

30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

This is absolutely mind-blowing. (H/T: JL.)

A bioengineer and geneticist at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have successfully stored 5.5 petabits of data — around 700 terabytes — in a single gram of DNA, smashing the previous DNA data density record by a thousand times.

The work, carried out by George Church [hmm...] and Sri Kosuri, basically treats DNA as just another digital storage device… It’s incredibly dense (you can store one bit per base, and a base is only a few atoms large); it’s volumetric (beaker) rather than planar (hard disk); and it’s incredibly stable… DNA can survive for hundreds of thousands of years in a box in your garage… biological storage [sh]ould allow us to record anything and everything…

Literally: every electrical impulse in your brain, every move you make. For reasons I will outline further down, I’d urge nobody to get crazy or worry at this prospect. Be sure to watch the video (6:33 duration).

…the entirety of human knowledge — every book, uttered word, and funny cat video — can be stored in a few hundred kilos of DNA [today, with this breakthrough]… “The theoretical density of DNA is that you could store the total world information, which [was] 1.8 zettabytes in 2011, in about four grams of DNA.”

[A zettabyte is one trillion gigabytes.]

Now recall a post I did a few years ago, entitled, ‘The Word, DNA, the Good Seed… and Life‘:

Talking about DNA… as words, as an alphabet and as a language is something very much in the mainstream of science, as sites like this attest. In the context of history however, DNA is a very recent discovery.

In the late 1940′s, the members of the scientific community were aware that DNA was most likely the molecule of life, even though many were skeptical since it was so “simple.” …

Likewise, many today are “aware” in a vague way, that the so-called Judeo-Christian ‘ethic’, or maybe Jesus the man and his teachings provide generally positive, life-enhancing guidelines compared to the darker alternatives and maybe in some combination with other neat-sounding “spiritual” ideas, yet they’re skeptical of this whole Word of God thing because the cross and the prescription for accepting grace are… so simple: Repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38, Peter speaking).

How can that simple set of actions be the source of all life? I ask in reply: how can the act of sexual intimacy between husband and wife be the source of a person? The planting of a seed in the ground in May the source of tomatoes in August? DNA.

Similarly, how can a simple alphabet, e.g., the Hebrew “alephbet”, be the source of this other, larger kind of spiritual, eternal life with the Creator himself?

JOHN 1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

For the experiment described above, the Harvard researchers encoded Church’s as-yet-unreleased book, ‘Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves‘, due out October 2nd.

That day just happens to also be the 2nd day of Sukkot (a.k.a., the Feast of Booths) an annual celebration which, I’ve concluded (for reasons too extensive to get into here) was most likely the occasion of Jesus’ birth, 2,013 years ago. (Thirteen, in Jewish tradition, marks the age of Bar Mitzvah and entry into adulthood. On the Hebrew calendar, it’s the year 5772, more or less nearing the end of the “sixth day” according to 2nd Peter 3:8.)

In other words, the book ‘Regenesis’ is coming out on the anniversary of the festival during which the Word, Jesus Christ, became flesh, growing up from the Holy Spirit’s seed miraculously implanted in Mary’s womb so as to make up the DNA of Christ Jesus.

Here’s Amazon’s synopsis of the book:

In Regenesis, Church and Regis explore the possibilities — and perils — of the emerging field of synthetic biology. Synthetic biology, in which living organisms are selectively altered by modifying substantial portions of their genomes, allows for the creation of entirely new species of organisms. Until now, nature has been the exclusive arbiter of life, death, and evolution; with synthetic biology, we now have the potential to write our own biological future. Indeed, as Church and Regis show, it even enables us to revisit crucial points in the evolution of life and, through synthetic biological techniques, choose different paths from those nature originally took.

Try substituting ‘Jehovah God Almighty’ for ‘nature,’ then read that section again. The synopsis continues:

Such exploits will involve far more than just microbial tinkering. Full-blown genomic engineering will make possible incredible feats, from resurrecting woolly mammoths and other extinct [or simply dead!] organisms to creating mirror life forms with a molecular structure the opposite of our own.

[Opposite... opposing... literally: our adversary... the devil.]

These technologies—far from the out-of-control nightmare depicted in science fiction—have the power to improve human and animal health, increase our intelligence, enhance our memory, and even extend our life span. A breathtaking look at the potential of this world-changing technology, Regenesis is nothing less than a guide to the future of life.

GENESIS 2:7 …then YHWH God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

In other words, we will soon be capable of imitating the Creator’s most fundamental role, putting mankind in the place of God. In a sense (and I urge y’all to ponder this one prayerfully before reacting and inserting traditional understandings of the temple and its Holy and Most Holy places as referring exclusively to the marble edifice in Jerusalem) mankind is very close to ‘standing’ (i.e., in defiance of God) in the Most Holy Place — the proverbial typesetting room of the Word… of the seed of all see and all life, able and eager to write our own life story in DNA in place of that which the Creator created and said was “very good”.

Matthew 13:24-30 (ESV) –

He [Jesus] put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Here’s more from my January, 2010 post:

The one sowing the good seeds (which I always interpreted as words once spoken, but now on a page), is the Son of Man, Jesus himself. Now here’s the kicker… In Luke’s treatment of the same scene (Luke 8:11, KJV) Jesus’ words are rendered:

The seed is the word of God.

Camp on that for a moment. Read it again. It has blown me away since I let it and its implications begin to sink in. The seed (hark back to Genesis and DNA) IS the word of God. It’s both a metaphor AND a literal statement. And it’s Jesus HIMSELF, as well as his bon mots spoken while here on earth as well as the Father’s words of life-creation (DNA). They are ALL the Word of God. And they’re in perfect relationship to one another, as is the Godhead: both united and distinct. No words of mine can adequately convey this. The closest I can come it to think of Jesus (the Word of God) as the ultimate and infinite source of stem cells at every level of Creation.

One word gives precious physical life in this world. The other gives spiritual life in the eternal (which begins here and now). We must cherish BOTH forms of life for they are BOTH the word of God…

These latest DNA developments would be more troubling if were were to lose faith and (wrongly) assume that they would run out unchecked into the indefinite future, developing into any number of wild scenarios, i.e., if we were to forget that God is Sovereign. Some of them may. Satan still rules the world. This development may intersect, for instance, with the Mark of the Beast. But we’re told not to fear or worry. It’s a command — worry a form of distrust.

It’s important to remember that the most brilliant scientists are still created beings — precious to God, but still very much prone, just like the rest of us, to sin, rebellion and gross self-deception and under his control.

As scary/wondrous as these events may seem (and they are both — for man to have the capacity to discover and invent such things speaks to the grandeur and glory of God), they are also an indicator of what time it is — a day closer to the return of Jesus Christ.

The technology for man to re-make himself in his own image of perfection, and to record and know everything going on in the mind and life of every person will not go un-checked any more than Satan’s previous attempts to gain ultimate power over life, the universe and everything.

ISAIAH 14:13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend [literally 'allah'] to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

Man remaking himself in his own image of perfection is a humanistic goal with a long, dark and continuing legacy. The Olympics are one highly visible example. I’ve been a competitive athlete most of my life, and I serve as a coach, yet it’s a truism that a global contest to select the three best human specimens in each domain of physical sport is grounded, in its underlying philosophy, in the same ideas which gave rise to the Nazi movement.

Inherent in the notion that a ‘better’ man can be conceived of and created by man (i.e., that we can know rightly what ‘better’ looks like) is the notion that some are less worthy of life. Very simply: eugenics. Who can say, with authority, that the eradication of deformity, disease, disability and ultimately, death, is ‘good’ when such things are an important mechanism (if not the mechanism) by which God brings us to Himself and works sanctification?

JOB 36:15
He delivers the afflicted BY their affliction
and opens their ear BY adversity.

E.g., consider a world still infused with sin in which nobody ever got sick or died and what that would do for empathy and compassion. For instance, the following crossed my desk this past weekend:

My son Paul was denied placement on the heart transplant list because of his mental disability [autism]. The doctor was more interested in the fact that he could not name all his medications (he takes 19 at the present time) and the Princess Peach doll he carries for comfort, than the fact that he has never smoked or drank alcohol. Where will the discrimination end?

Paul is a wonderful boy that has taken his mental and physical illness in stride. He has just completed his first novel geared toward preteens. We are now in the process of having it self-published. This is really the only thing that keeps his mind off of his mortality. How do I explain to him why he can’t have a new heart?

One cannot know all the details, of course. Many people get denied transplants and all kinds of medical treatments all the time for reasons which are insufficient in themselves (no set of human decision criteria will ever be perfect) and unsatisfying to those on the receiving end of such news. As long as we make physical life and health our ultimate ‘god’, failing to rely on God’s promise of eternal life, we will be misled.

Yet if this story about this young man doesn’t mark a big step further down the slippery slope towards unapologetic eugenics, I don’t know what would. E.g., see this article on how the Nazis gradually moved towards that goal with autistic and other individuals deemed un-useful to the state. Or this video, ‘The Autistic’s Holocaust‘.

What’s the point? The conclusion? Well…

Did you ever wonder, in the context of letters, words, alphabets and the words (the info-bits) of DNA, the language of life, why Jesus Christ refers to Himself as the Alpha and the Omega? I.e., the A-Z? The Aleph-Tav (the untranslated, self-reflective ‘ath’)? The One Who IS the Word of Life, the Word made flesh, in addition to having the words of life?

JOHN 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

JOHN 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

REVELATION 1:8 “I AM the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

REVELATION 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I AM making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”