From: Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 07:04:13 +0800
To: cypherpunks@ssz.com
Subject: DNA encrypted messages (fwd)
Message-ID: <199710202312.SAA09155@einstein.ssz.com>
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>From owner-traveller@Phaser.ShowCase.MPGN.COM Mon Oct 20 18:05:46 1997
Message-Id: <199710202034.WAA19474@vip.cybercity.dk>
From: "Mark Seemann" <dko3835@vip.cybercity.dk>
To: <traveller@MPGN.COM>
Subject: DNA encrypted messages
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 22:28:39 +0200
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Tue, 21 Oct 1997 00:08:58 +1300 Andrew Moffatt-Vallance wrote: 

> To crib a plot line from ST:TNG (who cribed it from Niven I think).
Assuming
> that the aliens have a reasonable biotech, why not encode it in the DNA
> sequences of some local life forms. Sharks would be a good bet, or
jellyfish.
> Remember something like 90% of any DNA sequence is just waste space.

I actually used this idea maybe ten adventures back in my current campaign,
although I got the idea myself and thought it was pretty original. Well,
that just goes to show...

The setup was a little different. A psionic noble (yes, I'm playing off the
Psionic Knights campaign) was persued during the psionic suppressions, and
encoded the whereabouts of his (psionic) noble's order's tresuary in
plasmid rings in his blood, leaving behind him a subtle clue for friendly
successors to pick up.

The player characters found his buried body, dug it up and analyzed what
was left of his deteriorated blood. The party's (NPC) doctor found the
following obviously artificial encoding as part of more 'natural' DNA:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAACCCGGGTTTAAACCCGGGTTTAAACCCGGGTTTAAACCCGGGTTT
AAACCCGGGTTTAAACCCGGGTTTAAACCCGGGTTTAAACCCGGGTTT
AAACCCGGGTTTAAACCCGGGTTTAAACCCGGGTTTAAACCCGGGTTT
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
AAAAACAAGAATACAACCACGACTAGAAGCAGGAGTATAATCATGATT
CAACACCAGCATCCACCCCCGCCTCGACGCCGGCGTCTACTCCTGCTT
GAAGACGAGGATGCAGCCGCGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
ATAAGGCGTCTAATGGCAAAGAAGAAGACAGCACTACGCCAGCCTGAA
AGGCGTATCGCACCGAGGCGTATACACATGCTAGCCGCAGAAAGGCGT
CGTAGGCCTCTCGCAAGGATAATACGACGTATCCAGCCTCAAGCACTC
CGAGCACAGCCGCGCATGCGTCAGAGGCCCGCAATGATCCAGATACTC
GCAAGCACTGCCGCACGCAGGCTGCCCAGGCTAGCACGAATTATTCAG
ATACAGAGGCCCGCACGTATGATACGACAACCTCAGCTCCAGCGACCT
GCACGAATTGCACTCCACATGGCACGACGTATCATGCGTGCACGAATT
GCACTCCACATGGCAGAACACCAGCTCATGGCACTACTCAGGCGTGCC
GCAAGGCTCGCACTCCACATGGCAATCATGAGGATCGCACCGAGGCCT
CTAGCAATTCAGCCTCAAATGCGTGCCGCAAGTCCCAGGATACCAGCA
AGTCGAGACGCACTCCACCGTCGAGAACCTGCACAGCCTGCACTCCAC
ATGGCAGAAATGCCCCCCGCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I explained to the players that 'A' was for Adenine, 'C' for Cytocine, 'G'
for Guanine, and 'T' for Tymine (the for possible DNA bases) and let them
loose without any further help at all. They actually broke the code, and it
was very satisfying for both them and me.

Here's a little challenge for you all: Can any of you guys break the code?

Mark Seemann
mark@dk-online.dk
http://www2.dk-online.dk/users/mark_seemann