DNA Encoding: Classical Information Storage, Quantum Tunneling, and Mutation Pathways

DNA is simultaneously a chemical polymer and an information-bearing substrate: its base sequence isreplicated with high fidelity, yet rare errors persist and ultimately shape genetic variation. Atthe scale of hydrogen bonding, base pairing and strand separation involve light nuclei (protons) andcan be idealized by potential-energy landscapes where quantum-mechanical effects such as tunnelingand short-lived tautomeric shifts may occur. This manuscript organizes a set of core ingredientsinto a research-paper structure: (i) biological mechanisms of replication, mutation, and repair;(ii) a conceptual encoding viewpoint inspired by engineered DNA data storage; (iii) a minimalquantum-mechanical framework sufficient to discuss proton transfer in double-well models; and (iv)a QEC-inspired schematic in which tautomerization plays the role of noise and proofreading/repairact as an imperfect correction cycle.