[cryptography] Vegetation Comsec

[coderman]

On Fri, Dec 20, 2013 at 6:22 PM, John Young <jya at pipeline.com> wrote:
> ...
> Plant signaling with chemical emissions was intriguing, as were
> signals sent through proxies such as insects.
> ...
> Has anyone seen reports on this? Or on chemical transceiving
> for comsec? Public key as a plant with unique biological
> identity which absorbs or emits decrypt signal? The use of insect
> and chemical proxies?


most stylishly done as 'the drummers':
"""
  where he is taken in by a strange society known as “The Drummers”.
These people operate in underwater compounds located off the coasts of
major centers, perform rhythmic, hypnotic dances and engage in
ritualized sex. This act, we learn later, is actually for the sake of
information exchange, which is done through the transmission of
nanomachines contained within their bodily fluids.
"""
 - http://storiesbywilliams.com/2011/11/25/the-diamond-age/


more recently via vodka emission:
"""
scientists used a desk fan and mist of alcohol to transmit evaporated
molecules that were translated into binary signals and decoded by a
breathalyzer device.
"""
- http://www.ibtimes.com/worlds-first-text-message-sent-using-vodka-new-technology-transmits-binary-signals-molecules-photos
[this technique can be generalized to any gaseous emission (or aqueous
when at sea?) with appropriate detector.]


and of course, chemical signalling is not magically immune to flaws;
ant mills (death spirals) one of many examples of signalling amiss.


and there are some interesting research papers on targeted genomic
viral strains which only "unlock" to a very specific genetic profile.
i don't have them handy...