Genome’s 3D Shape: A Living Computer that Enabled Complex Life
New research reveals the second language of the human genome – one not written in its chemical letters but in its physical shape.
Scientists have long thought of DNA as an instruction manual written in the four- chemical bases—A, C, T, and G—that make up the genetic code. The prevailing belief was that by decoding these sequences, we could unlock how cells and organisms fundamentally work. Now, research from Northwestern Engineering’s Vadim Backman reveals a second “language” of life: the “geometric code” embedded in the genome’s physical shape. Like a blueprint for making living microprocessors, the geometric code helps cells store and process information.
“Rather than a predetermined script based on fixed genetic instruction sets, we humans are living, breathing computational systems that have been evolving in complexity and power for millions of years,” Backman said.