Brad C

🧵 Turning carbon-based humans into silicon-based lifeforms PART 1 Turning carbon-based humans into silicon-based lifeforms—often referred to as post-biological evolution or silicon-based cybernetics—is a framework where organic biomolecules are systematically replaced or augmented by silicon-containing compounds, semiconductor networks, or solid-state devices. While fiction depicts this as a sudden, sci-fi transformation, bioengineering & cybernetic models outline this transition thru specific pathways of molecular substitution, biohybrid interfacing, & architectural emulation. If silicon is restricted to acting as a rare & specialized heteroatom—meaning it cannot replace the carbon backbone of organic chemistry but instead modifies it—the transition shifts from a total chemical substitution to a precise bioelectronic upgrade. Instead of turning a human into a rock-like, non-carbon alien, this constraint creates a cyborgized, organosilicon hybrid. Silicon atoms are strategically inserted into biological frameworks to act as semiconductor nodes, quantum anchors, & molecular antennas within a still-carbon-based body. Directed Evolution of Cytochrome c for Carbon–Silicon Bond Formation: Bringing Silicon to Life pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article… Scientific Background on the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018 DIRECTED EVOLUTION OF ENZYMES & BINDING PROTEINS nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/… In 2016, Arnold’s lab designed an enzyme that normally catalyzes important biological reactions in living things to forge a carbon-silicon bond. It was a first. “We can program bacteria to produce these bonds w/ a mutant that does the job 50 times better than the best human chemist … & w/out the environmental devastation,” said Arnold. news.mit.edu/2021/innovation… 2024 Welch Conference Keynote Address — Frances H. Arnold "Innovation by Evolution: Bringing New Chemistry to Life" Nature does not natively produce enzymes that form carbon-silicon bonds. However, pioneering work in directed evolution by Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold proved that heme-containing proteins can be systematically mutated to forge these non-natural bonds w/ high efficiency. youtu.be/XedWJNYlpYE?is=9sUK… The directed evolution process begins w/ an enzyme that scientists want to enhance. The DNA coding for the enzyme is mutated in more-or-less random ways, & the resulting enzymes are tested for a desired trait. The top-performing enzyme is then mutated again, & the process is repeated until an enzyme that performs much better than the original is created. The ideal candidate turned out to be a protein from a bacterium (Cytochrome c) that grows in hot springs in Iceland. Cytochrome c normally shuttles electrons to other proteins, but the researchers found that it also happens to act like an enzyme to create silicon-carbon bonds @ low levels. The scientists then mutated the DNA coding for that protein w/in a region that specifies an iron-containing portion of the protein thought to be responsible for its silicon-carbon bond-forming activity. Next, they tested these mutant enzymes for their ability to make organosilicon compounds better than the original. "This iron-based, genetically encoded catalyst is nontoxic, cheaper, & easier to modify compared to other catalysts used in chemical synthesis," says Kan. "The new reaction can also be done at room temperature & in water." caltech.edu/about/news/bring… Biomimetic Silification For a human biological matrix to incorporate silicon chemically, it requires directed evolution using specialized enzymes (like silicateins) or engineered synthetic biology pathways. This allows the synthesis of organosilicon polymers (silicones) that can w/stand aqueous environments, serving as a transitional flexible matrix for cellular scaffolding. Directed Evolution of Silicatein Reveals Biomineralization Synergism between Protein Sequences pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/… Directed evolution of enzymatic silicon-carbon bond cleavage in siloxanes science.org/doi/10.1126/scie…