HackingTheUniverse

This Scientific American article discusses the idea of creating artificial self replicating genetic material that could be better than DNA.

Triple Helix: Designing a New Molecule of Life

Peptide nucleic acid, a synthetic hybrid of protein and DNA, could form the basis of a new class of drugs—and of artificial life unlike anything found in nature

Key Concepts

• A synthetic molecule called peptide nucleic acid (PNA) combines the information-storage properties of DNA with the chemical stability of a proteinlike backbone.
• Drugs based on PNA would achieve therapeutic effects by binding to specific base sequences of DNA or RNA, repressing or promoting the corresponding gene.
• Some researchers working to construct artificial life-forms out of mixtures of chemicals are also considering PNA as a useful ingredient for their designs.
• PNA-like molecules may have served as primordial genetic material at the origin of life.