November Issue

This issue is written in code (English) on a platform of code (0,1) about code (A, T, C, G). Meaning is mediated through multiple layers—yet when meaning appears, code seemingly vanishes. In these essays, code becomes a locus of discrimination, irretrievability, and discovery where culture and biology lock horns.

We cling to our differences when our genomes are 99.9 percent the same, says geneticist and podcast host Janina Jeff. This pretense has seeded a legacy of race-based scientific exploitation and healthcare inequities⟶

Using DNA from an extinct flower, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Christina Agapakis, and Sissel Tolaas brought back a scent lost in 1881. But can we really resurrect a smell?⟶

Artist Pearlyn Lii created a multisensory experience that offers participants the chance to hear their genome through song. The As, Cs, Ts, and Gs translated into musical notes may offer us a palpable link to our ancestors⟶

Codes do much more than provide guidelines: they open channels of communication, they inspire us, and they help us make decisions, say codemakers Jason Bobe and Alex Pearlman⟶

We asked community members to share the principles they felt were most important for a biodesign code of ethics. Here’s what they wrote⟶

Biodesign encompasses everything from ancient Finnish fiber-making techniques to do-it-yourself CRISPR kits. Professor Pirjo Kääriäinen reflects on the wonders and woes of manipulating life⟶

Issue 9 Masthead