MadSci Network: Computer Science
Query:

Subject: How does DNA compare with integrated circuit technology?

Date: Tue Jan 11 15:18:44 2000
Posted by Mike DeLuca
Grade level: grad (non-science) School: No school entered.
City: Boca Raton State/Province: FL Country: USA
Area of science: Computer Science
ID: 947625524.Cs
Message:

I'm trying to get a handle on the relative information densities of DNA 
versus integrated circuit technology. Here are the basic questions. 

1) If one could take all of the matter in a human's DNA and (magically) 
convert it to silicon and related elements, then how many transistors 
could be made with the converted matter?

2) How many bits of information are needed to fully describe a human's 
DNA, or how many megabytes of hard drive space would be required to store 
the information contained in a human's DNA sequence?

And the ultimate question:
3) Assuming Moore's law for integrated circuit densities holds out
(ignoring theoretical IC geometry limits), how long before we can 
manufacture matter having the information density of human DNA?



Re: How does DNA compare with integrated circuit technology?

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