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Writing Genetic Material

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Genes, Genomes and Society

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Abstract

While in the previous sections we learned about very concrete interventions in the genetic material of organisms, things are now getting a little more utopian—but only a little. The latest methods of genetic engineering involve not only the precise modification of the genetic material without leaving traces, but also the completely chemical synthesis of genetic information. The DNA molecule can thus be synthesized in a test tube. This is nothing new: Old DNA synthesis devices can be obtained on eBay for relatively little money (Fig. 6.1). However, the technology is becoming more sophisticated. The currently available phosphoramidite-based chemical synthesis can generate fragments around 250 nucleotides long. With the development of newer methods, fragment lengths are becoming much larger [1].

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  1. Fakultät für Angewandte Computer- und Biowissenschaften, Hochschule Mittweida, Mittweida, Germany

    Röbbe Wünschiers

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Correspondence to Röbbe Wünschiers .

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Wünschiers, R. (2022). Writing Genetic Material. In: Genes, Genomes and Society. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-64081-4_6

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