Decoding DNA: Translating the Blueprint of Life

"It is raining DNA outside. On the bank of the Oxford canal at the bottom of my garden is a large willow tree, and it is pumping downy seeds into the air. ... [spreading] DNA whose coded characters spell out specific instructions for building willow trees that will shed a new generation of downy seeds. … It is raining instructions out there; it's raining programs; it's raining tree-growing, fluff-spreading, algorithms. That is not a metaphor, it is the plain truth. It couldn't be any plainer if it were raining floppy discs." -Richard Dawkins (12)

Just as construction workers need a blueprint to build skyscrapers, all living organisms need DNA sequence to build cellular components, manufacture important molecules, and ultimately display the emergent and unique properties of life. By decoding the universal language of DNA, we can unlock new secrets about life and ourselves.

DNA sequencing is an important field that is quickly developing new techniques and methods. The improvement of DNA sequencing technologies has been astonishing, especially considering that the structure of DNA was discovered a mere half-century ago.

In this website, we will explore not only the technical and technological applications of DNA, but also the political, social, and economic ramifications that DNA sequencing technology has had on our society today and tomorrow.

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