4 ms·
A rough analogy is like if you flipped some bits in a computer program's executable code and then looked at what happens when you run that code, and notice a sp
by quantadev 2y ago
A rough analogy is like if you flipped some bits in a computer program's executable code and then looked at what happens when you run that code, and notice a specific feature now no longer works for example. Yeah you found a way to break something, but you don't know what else you broke, or what the full effects were of flipping those bits.
- astrange 2y agoAlso, the results with the current methods could be fine for imprecise purposes. Say, if you had some cat embryos and wanted to know which one was orange for your designer kitten. But in the future it might not be good enough for later more precise interventions; if you just start editing cats to make them orange now you're going to find out what the side effects are.
- willis936 2y agoI think with modern computer systems the effects would be relatively silo'd. I have the sense that each gene are more multi-use and interconnected than execution memory.
- quantadev 2y agoThe more complex a system is the more reuse of code there generally is. (i.e. multiple different functions making use of some shared function) That means if you randomly alter something, it's more likely to have multiple effects rather than a single effect. BTW, most times in software parlance "silo'd" means "not interconnected" rather than "interconnected".
- willis936 2y ago>BTW, most times in software parlance "silo'd" means "not interconnected" rather than "interconnected". And that's how I meant it. Software doesn't reuse execution bits as much as genes.
- quantadev 2y agoThe beauty of my "bit flip" analogy is that it holds true even without assuming there's any code reuse.