re: Interstellar drives and distances...
The simple storing of DNA sequences and reconstituting human life from it is not nearly so simple as it sounds. DNA alone can do nothing. It requires a swarm of enzymes and much else to actually result in a live human being. There is always a glib passing over of enormous hurdles in doing something like this. Then there is the problem of transmission of culture (memes). The newborn would have to be reared entirely by computer control until it is self sufficient. But what is the likelyhood that a few humans so reared would have the capacity to survive on a distant world? What if they all turned out to be "juvenile delinquents"? Murphey's law would catch up to this scheme sooner rather than later.