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Freethinker: Ah, but what of density? We are far from storing anywhere near as much data as DNA can.
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Density != complexity
How about this....bacteria aren't as large as an OS! Gee, guess the OS wins another one! :-)
Not that density is really an issue, but bacteria are in trouble because their information density is basically fixed. We humans, on the other hand, keep making enormous advances in data storage technology. Remember years ago when a 1.44MB floppy was a huge amount of storage, and 1MB RAM was enormous. Well, we now have 3.5" hard drives that store hundreds of gigabytes and also can have multiple gigabytes of RAM. Here's something about density, now probably outdated...considering how fast technology advances:
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"Current high-end 3 1/2" drives record at areal densities exceeding 20Gbit/sq. inch. Prototype drives with densities as high as 40Gbit/sq. inch now exist, which will allow 3 1/2" drives with capacities of 400GB or more in the next few years." (Upgrading and Repairing PCs: 15th Anniversary Edition, Scott Mueller, Que, 2003, p596)
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Something roughly the size of a postage stamp can store 40 billion bits of information. We're not yet down to the DNA scale, but DNA density is a fixed target and the technology miniaturization trend continues.
