This post is a follow-up to one that I did back in February: A Modern Magical Spell. There I was ruminating about the fact that, whereas old-school vaccines included little chunks of the virus itself, the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines are instructions, blueprints, that tell your body how to make those little viral chunks. They are, in effect, cellular DIY projects.
It sounds like a minor point, but the difference is huge. Sending messages is easier and more flexible than sending the thing that the message encodes. Why send cookies if you can just send the recipe? Why send a string quartet if you can just send the sheet music? Blueprints are cheaper than bricks.
Anyway, I’m writing about the same thing again because we now know exactly what text is in the vaccine. Text messages are convenient for a number of reasons, and one is that they’re easy for us to read. Think about this: the syringe that pokes you in the arm is a bottle with a message. Uncork the bottle, unroll the message, and you can see, you can just read off, exactly what protein sequence the vaccine codes for. Some folks at Stanford have done exactly that: Stanford Scientists Post mRNA Sequence for Moderna Vaccine on Github. They didn’t want to get in trouble for stealing anyone’s shot, so they did the equivalent of sifting through the trash for valuable documents: “RNAs were obtained as discards from the small portions of vaccine doses that remained in vials after immunization.”
Pfizer didn’t want to publish this information… only they did publish it. They published millions of copies into little vials and distributed them across the country. For my previous piece, I made a guess as to the sequence that was used for encoding the spike protein. No surprise, my guess was wrong. But the good news is that the actual answer is posted on GitHub. Check out the fancy title: Assemblies of putative SARS CoV2 spike encoding mRNA sequences for vaccines BNT-162b2 and mRNA-1273.
Do you want to know the actual recipe for that BNT-162b2 vaccine? The actual text that would be injected into your bloodstream? Here it is.
GAGAATAAACTAGTATTCTTCTGGTCCCCACAGACTCAGAGAGAACCCGCCACCATGTTCGTGTTCCTGGTGCTGCTGCC TCTGGTGTCCAGCCAGTGTGTGAACCTGACCACCAGAACACAGCTGCCTCCAGCCTACACCAACAGCTTTACCAGAGGCG TGTACTACCCCGACAAGGTGTTCAGATCCAGCGTGCTGCACTCTACCCAGGACCTGTTCCTGCCTTTCTTCAGCAACGTG ACCTGGTTCCACGCCATCCACGTGTCCGGCACCAATGGCACCAAGAGATTCGACAACCCCGTGCTGCCCTTCAACGACGG GGTGTACTTTGCCAGCACCGAGAAGTCCAACATCATCAGAGGCTGGATCTTCGGCACCACACTGGACAGCAAGACCCAGA GCCTGCTGATCGTGAACAACGCCACCAACGTGGTCATCAAAGTGTGCGAGTTCCAGTTCTGCAACGACCCCTTCCTGGGC GTCTACTACCACAAGAACAACAAGAGCTGGATGGAAAGCGAGTTCCGGGTGTACAGCAGCGCCAACAACTGCACCTTCGA GTACGTGTCCCAGCCTTTCCTGATGGACCTGGAAGGCAAGCAGGGCAACTTCAAGAACCTGCGCGAGTTCGTGTTTAAGA ACATCGACGGCTACTTCAAGATCTACAGCAAGCACACCCCTATCAACCTCGTGCGGGATCTGCCTCAGGGCTTCTCTGCT CTGGAACCCCTGGTGGATCTGCCCATCGGCATCAACATCACCCGGTTTCAGACACTGCTGGCCCTGCACAGAAGCTACCT GACACCTGGCGATAGCAGCAGCGGATGGACAGCTGGTGCCGCCGCTTACTATGTGGGCTACCTGCAGCCTAGAACCTTCC TGCTGAAGTACAACGAGAACGGCACCATCACCGACGCCGTGGATTGTGCTCTGGATCCTCTGAGCGAGACAAAGTGCACC CTGAAGTCCTTCACCGTGGAAAAGGGCATCTACCAGACCAGCAACTTCCGGGTGCAGCCCACCGAATCCATCGTGCGGTT CCCCAATATCACCAATCTGTGCCCCTTCGGCGAGGTGTTCAATGCCACCAGATTCGCCTCTGTGTACGCCTGGAACCGGA AGCGGATCAGCAATTGCGTGGCCGACTACTCCGTGCTGTACAACTCCGCCAGCTTCAGCACCTTCAAGTGCTACGGCGTG TCCCCTACCAAGCTGAACGACCTGTGCTTCACAAACGTGTACGCCGACAGCTTCGTGATCCGGGGAGATGAAGTGCGGCA GATTGCCCCTGGACAGACAGGCAAGATCGCCGACTACAACTACAAGCTGCCCGACGACTTCACCGGCTGTGTGATTGCCT GGAACAGCAACAACCTGGACTCCAAAGTCGGCGGCAACTACAATTACCTGTACCGGCTGTTCCGGAAGTCCAATCTGAAG CCCTTCGAGCGGGACATCTCCACCGAGATCTATCAGGCCGGCAGCACCCCTTGTAACGGCGTGGAAGGCTTCAACTGCTA CTTCCCACTGCAGTCCTACGGCTTTCAGCCCACAAATGGCGTGGGCTATCAGCCCTACAGAGTGGTGGTGCTGAGCTTCG AACTGCTGCATGCCCCTGCCACAGTGTGCGGCCCTAAGAAAAGCACCAATCTCGTGAAGAACAAATGCGTGAACTTCAAC TTCAACGGCCTGACCGGCACCGGCGTGCTGACAGAGAGCAACAAGAAGTTCCTGCCATTCCAGCAGTTTGGCCGGGATAT CGCCGATACCACAGACGCCGTTAGAGATCCCCAGACACTGGAAATCCTGGACATCACCCCTTGCAGCTTCGGCGGAGTGT CTGTGATCACCCCTGGCACCAACACCAGCAATCAGGTGGCAGTGCTGTACCAGGACGTGAACTGTACCGAAGTGCCCGTG GCCATTCACGCCGATCAGCTGACACCTACATGGCGGGTGTACTCCACCGGCAGCAATGTGTTTCAGACCAGAGCCGGCTG TCTGATCGGAGCCGAGCACGTGAACAATAGCTACGAGTGCGACATCCCCATCGGCGCTGGAATCTGCGCCAGCTACCAGA CACAGACAAACAGCCCTCGGAGAGCCAGAAGCGTGGCCAGCCAGAGCATCATTGCCTACACAATGTCTCTGGGCGCCGAG AACAGCGTGGCCTACTCCAACAACTCTATCGCTATCCCCACCAACTTCACCATCAGCGTGACCACAGAGATCCTGCCTGT GTCCATGACCAAGACCAGCGTGGACTGCACCATGTACATCTGCGGCGATTCCACCGAGTGCTCCAACCTGCTGCTGCAGT ACGGCAGCTTCTGCACCCAGCTGAATAGAGCCCTGACAGGGATCGCCGTGGAACAGGACAAGAACACCCAAGAGGTGTTC GCCCAAGTGAAGCAGATCTACAAGACCCCTCCTATCAAGGACTTCGGCGGCTTCAATTTCAGCCAGATTCTGCCCGATCC TAGCAAGCCCAGCAAGCGGAGCTTCATCGAGGACCTGCTGTTCAACAAAGTGACACTGGCCGACGCCGGCTTCATCAAGC AGTATGGCGATTGTCTGGGCGACATTGCCGCCAGGGATCTGATTTGCGCCCAGAAGTTTAACGGACTGACAGTGCTGCCT CCTCTGCTGACCGATGAGATGATCGCCCAGTACACATCTGCCCTGCTGGCCGGCACAATCACAAGCGGCTGGACATTTGG AGCAGGCGCCGCTCTGCAGATCCCCTTTGCTATGCAGATGGCCTACCGGTTCAACGGCATCGGAGTGACCCAGAATGTGC TGTACGAGAACCAGAAGCTGATCGCCAACCAGTTCAACAGCGCCATCGGCAAGATCCAGGACAGCCTGAGCAGCACAGCA AGCGCCCTGGGAAAGCTGCAGGACGTGGTCAACCAGAATGCCCAGGCACTGAACACCCTGGTCAAGCAGCTGTCCTCCAA CTTCGGCGCCATCAGCTCTGTGCTGAACGATATCCTGAGCAGACTGGACCCTCCTGAGGCCGAGGTGCAGATCGACAGAC TGATCACAGGCAGACTGCAGAGCCTCCAGACATACGTGACCCAGCAGCTGATCAGAGCCGCCGAGATTAGAGCCTCTGCC AATCTGGCCGCCACCAAGATGTCTGAGTGTGTGCTGGGCCAGAGCAAGAGAGTGGACTTTTGCGGCAAGGGCTACCACCT GATGAGCTTCCCTCAGTCTGCCCCTCACGGCGTGGTGTTTCTGCACGTGACATATGTGCCCGCTCAAGAGAAGAATTTCA CCACCGCTCCAGCCATCTGCCACGACGGCAAAGCCCACTTTCCTAGAGAAGGCGTGTTCGTGTCCAACGGCACCCATTGG TTCGTGACACAGCGGAACTTCTACGAGCCCCAGATCATCACCACCGACAACACCTTCGTGTCTGGCAACTGCGACGTCGT GATCGGCATTGTGAACAATACCGTGTACGACCCTCTGCAGCCCGAGCTGGACAGCTTCAAAGAGGAACTGGACAAGTACT TTAAGAACCACACAAGCCCCGACGTGGACCTGGGCGATATCAGCGGAATCAATGCCAGCGTCGTGAACATCCAGAAAGAG ATCGACCGGCTGAACGAGGTGGCCAAGAATCTGAACGAGAGCCTGATCGACCTGCAAGAACTGGGGAAGTACGAGCAGTA CATCAAGTGGCCCTGGTACATCTGGCTGGGCTTTATCGCCGGACTGATTGCCATCGTGATGGTCACAATCATGCTGTGTT GCATGACCAGCTGCTGTAGCTGCCTGAAGGGCTGTTGTAGCTGTGGCAGCTGCTGCAAGTTCGACGAGGACGATTCTGAG CCCGTGCTGAAGGGCGTGAAACTGCACTACACATGATGACTCGAGCTGGTACTGCATGCACGCAATGCTAGCTGCCCCTT TCCCGTCCTGGGTACCCCGAGTCTCCCCCGACCTCGGGTCCCAGGTATGCTCCCACCTCCACCTGCCCCACTCACCACCT CTGCTAGTTCCAGACACCTCCCAAGCACGCAGCAATGCAGCTCAAAACGCTTAGCCTAGCCACACCCCCACGGGAAACAG CAGTGATTAACCTTTAGCAATAAACGAAAGTTTAACTAAGCTATACTAACCCCAGGGTTGGTCAATTTCGTGCCAGCCAC ACCCTGGAGCTAGCA
There it is! That’s the payload. That’s what the fuss is all about. It gives me a thrill to look at it. It may look like a mess, but the ribosomes in your cells can read it like a recipe. So we might say that you can’t read it, but “you” can. Because you can. And you will. And it might save your life.
As biology becomes more and more of an information science, many strange and wonderful things will become possible. We’re still at the “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you” stage of communication.
Rambles Blog at Star Chamber 