Laser Show Plans to Send Jonathan Rothberg's Genome to Space Aliens

Followed by exomes of many others

SETI@home projects at various planets within and outside Milky Way will get busy with a new ‘big data’ puzzle, because this year’s Burning Man show plans to ship them the genomes of genomics pioneer Jonathan Rothberg and many others using laser. (h/t: @kavindavies)

Quoting from the article in Wired magazine:

“Genome started as a wild idea I had a couple of days after getting engaged in February,” cocreator Housley told Wired.co.uk. “I briefly mentioned the idea in a long email to my fiances uncle, Dr Jonathan Rothberg, who developed high speed genome sequencing, moved it to a ‘chip’; and can sequence a person in a few hours now with new machines. Jonathan’s response was ‘love the laser idea’. So I started exploring it further.”

It’s handy having a genome sequencing expert in the family, and it’s Rothberg who will be sequencing the genome of anyone who contributes enough to the campaign (it’s the perk of a $1,500 [975] donation). Rothberg sequenced the genome of James Watson, the codiscoverer of the DNA double helix who helped establish the Human Genome Project, and also launched the Neanderthal Genome Project. In recognition of this work, Rothberg’s genome will be projected in the light display first.

Pretty cool, hah? More details at Wired.