if the four basic nucleobases decide gene outcome (ACGT), but have strict complementary base pairing (A-C & G-T), are there then four values to variate with or just two, like binary?

Question

**Correction**: A-T & C-G, not ~~A-C & G-T~~
The question arose from [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/comments/k3b4ba/just_like_computers_speak_in_binary_1s_and_0s_the/ge2jzil?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), where I compared binary code to human DNA’s ACGT, then someone who knows more about IT than me made a good question.

If it’s not clear what I’m asking yet:
in binary you can have a lot of variation with the values 1 and 0
in human DNA (if we ignore RNA and (U)racil for now) there are four values, A, C, G, T. But since they bind strictly A-C & G-T doesn’t that technically leave DNA with only two factors to variate with?

Like: ~~A-C, A-C, G-T, A-C~~ A-T, A-T, C-G, A-T
Instead of: AGTATAC

In: Biology

Answer 1

There are definitely 4. A-T is not the same thing as T-A.

I’m trying to understand what your example is trying to say tbh.

AGTATAC binds with TCATATG, which, again, is not the same thing.

Not sure if this is sufficient, but if it isn’t then I might have to report.