4 ms·
The fundamental disconnect seems to be that programming is working with defined languages and environments created by humans with tools created by humans to mak
by vikramkr 5y ago
The fundamental disconnect seems to be that programming is working with defined languages and environments created by humans with tools created by humans to make further programming by humans easier. Biology is the result of billions of years of natural selection and random processes on hyper complicated chemical pathways. Something as simple as the epigenetics of expressing a gene - if its energetically unfavorable or even toxic, in many systems some sort of downregulation such as DNA methylation is going to occur and provide a competitive advantage in the culture. That's a single gotcha of thousands. Obviously, engineering biology in a robust and reliable way is quite doable, but, ya know, ya gotta know what you're doing and know what you're getting into.
- refurb 5y agoProgramming is a great analogy to biology if: - there is no documentation to start with - you can only learn the language through trial and error and development of crude frameworks that are accurate 75% of the time - you have no ability to look at the environment or operating system beyond “trying things” and making assumptions based on results - the environment itself resists most attempt at modifying it through feedback mechanisms (but you can’t see these either, just the effects) - no two computers + environments are identical. Code you write will mostly work in different computers, but occasionally won’t and sometimes will just brick (kill) the computer - when you learn a rule about changing a variable to produce Y affect, that rule doesn’t apply in 9 out of 10 scenarios