The human genome is a digital code that somehow contains all the information needed to build a human body, including that most remarkable of organs, the human brain. The data is stored in 3 billion bases of DNA, A,C,G,T. Therefore, there are 750 megabytes of information in the genome.
... only 10% is actually needed ...
-- Jim Kent, from Beautiful Code
This is staggering. I can't get it out of my head. 75 MBytes of data could create a human. With the immune system, eyes, sense of touch, the ability to recognise new ideas, and evaluate them with respect to themselves. Also, these 75MBs probably hold the human ability of compassion, empathy and hope. A CD could hold the definition of 10 humans. I don't say people, that would probably take many times that memory to store their retained experiences which influences who the human has "grown into".
In no common, trite way, this is still awesome.
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