"There is no facepalm big enough for this": Biohacker self-injects DNA sequence constructed from Bible and Koran verses

Joe Brophy
The Sun
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 20:07 UTC

© Composite image: Global Look Press / Catherine Leblanc / Godong; Getty Images

High-school student Adrien Locatelli translated religious passages into DNA codes to build unknown proteins

A biohacker injected himself with DNA sequence made from parts of the Bible and Koran in a risky experiment because he "wondered whether it would be possible".

The high-school student risked potentially fatal consequences after conducting the procedure without any knowledge of the effects the proteins would have on his body.

Mr Locatelli, who claimed the bizarre experiment was the first of its kind, converted all of the letters in the holy books into a DNA sequence.

A DNA strand is made up of chemicals represented by the letters ACGT, and all genes are coded for by a different combination of these four letters.

© TutorVista

DNA Nucleotide

Mr Locatelli replaced every Hebrew character in the Book of Genesis with DNA code, excluding 2:10 to 2:14, 5, and 7:1 to 7:5 because they were "controversial", going in the order of GACT.

The student translated religious passages into DNA code to build unknown proteins

He also replaced every Arabic letters from the 13th chapter from the Koran, the Surah Ar-Ra'd, with assigned nucleotides.

Mr Locatelli used the sequences of DNA letters to convert into chemical chains which had the potential to transform into any number of proteins in the human body.

The student then built the proteins in a lab before injecting himself, though it is unclear whether he injected different passages into either leg, or a mix of the two into both.

Publishing his article online, he wrote: "Recent studies have reported that it is possible to convert any type of information into DNA for the purpose of storage.

"Since it is possible to convert digital information into DNA, I wondered whether it would be possible to convert a religious text into DNA and to inject it in a living being.

"It is the first time that someone injects himself [with] macromolecules developed from a text.

"It is very symbolic even if it does not have much interest."

Comment: Apparently there were some effects, but probably not what Locatelli may have been looking for:

Using an online tool, the teenage biohacker was able to translate the nucleotide (building blocks of DNA and RNA) information into protein sequences which he then injected into each of his thighs.

The high-school student had no idea what effect injecting the unknown proteins into his body might have in what he claimed it was a one-of-a-kind experiment. He experienced no adverse side-effects apart from a swollen leg, which lasted for several days. It is unclear whether the Bible or the Koran verse proteins induced the swelling.

"Recent studies have shown that any information can be encrypted using DNA and stored in this form. I became the first living thing in which the text is stored. This is very symbolic, even if it does not bear any benefit," Locatelli said in his published research.

Locatelli was widely derided in the online scientific community, which was seemingly bemused as to his methodology and motivation for the utterly bizarre experiment.