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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 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Priority: 3 X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet Mail 4.70.1155 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-traveller@Phaser.ShowCase.MPGN.COM Reply-To: traveller@MPGN.COM

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