42 – The Answer to Almost Everything

Our bodies contain a wealth of data: in our DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolism, and microbiome. If we could accurately read and analyze this data, we would be able to detect diseases much earlier than we can today. It would be revolutionary. The problem is that there is far too much data. Our genes alone comprise terabytes of information. Computers are needed to analyze the data. Algorithms are designed to help us understand our bodies by identifying certain patterns in our bodily information that allow conclusions to be drawn about diseases. Using this method, researchers in the US have succeeded in detecting skin cancer at an early stage with the help of algorithms. Ultimately, this could lead to the creation of something like a medical avatar of ourselves – an artificial intelligence that keeps track of all our bodily data and warns us when something is wrong. This is already happening to some extent. The Robert Koch Institute has developed an app called “Corona-Datenspende” (Corona Data Donation) that uses body data to predict the course of the pandemic. Critics, however, argue that collecting and evaluating all this body data could lead to injustices. For example, if health insurance companies or businesses gain access to the data. To prevent this from happening, there is the idea of a data trust. Like a bank account, our body data could be stored there and protected from misuse.