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Hong Kong Team Stores 90GB of Data In 1g of Bacteria

Posted by timothy on from the feed-your-flashdrive dept.

Bananana writes "A research team out of the Chinese University of Hong Kong has found a way to do data encryption and storage with bacteria. The project is called 'Bioencryption,' and their presentation (as a PDF file) is here."

19 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Not secure by michelcolman · · Score: 4, Funny

    If that bacteria mutates and starts spreading through human hosts, EVERYONE will have your data!

    1. Re:Not secure by Konsalik · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hopefully they will contain the spelling of the word Bacteria :P

    2. Re:Not secure by crunch_ca · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's enrypted. Apparently using a lossy enryption sheme.

  2. I'm more interested... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    in what bateria is.

    1. Re:I'm more interested... by Yvan256 · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's what happens when you store your spell-checking software into 1 gram of bacteria.

    2. Re:I'm more interested... by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Funny

      in what bateria is.

      It's where the bats eat lunch?

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    3. Re:I'm more interested... by Arty2 · · Score: 3, Funny

      And yet, they till haven't fixed it after so many comments. It mut be intentional!

  3. So that mean by Anarchduke · · Score: 4, Funny

    The next time i wipe my hard drive, I could do it with bleach?

    --
    who prays for Satan? Who in 18 centuries has had the humanity to pray for the 1 sinner that needed it most? ~Mark Twain
  4. Bateria? Holy Data Storage Batman by rossdee · · Score: 4, Funny

    Bateria?

    Was the research funded by Bruce Wayne

  5. Obligatory by Yvan256 · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's life, Jim, but not as we know it.

    My anti-virus software just deleted all my data!

    My Windows computer has been infected! Go buy another 2TB hard drive, I'm running out of space at an exponential rate!

    In Soviet Russia, bacteria infects your data!

    The Bacteria Protection Agency is up in arms!

    Hello nerds. Look at your keyboard, now back to me, now back at your keyboard, now back to me. Sadly, it's infected with bacteria, but if you stopped washing your hands, it could be a lot worst. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re still at your desk reading this shit. What’s on your hand, back at me. I have it, the solution to your storage problems. Look again, the bacteria are now data. Anything is possible when you stop bathing. I’m a trojan horse.

    etc.

  6. Funny by Konsalik · · Score: 3, Informative

    I see no posts tagged other than funny in this story's future...

    1. Re:Funny by mikaelwbergene · · Score: 3, Funny

      Except, ironically, now your comment will be tagged interesting/informative.

      You just foiled your own prediction.

  7. They stored about 100 bytes. by Animats · · Score: 3, Informative

    What they actually did was to store about 100 bytes. This may be useful for putting copyright information into genetically engineered organisms. As a method of bulk data storage, though, it leaves much to be desired.

    DNA synthesis costs about $0.29 per base pair. Sequencing is a bit cheaper, but you currently get less than 1000 base pairs sequenced per run. Reading and writing takes a room of expensive wet lab gear, and hours to days.

  8. Re:Virus? by nomoreunusednickname · · Score: 3, Informative

    No, it doesn't.

  9. I think I've heard that quote before... by Bogtha · · Score: 3, Funny

    Only wimps use tape backup: real men just encode their data into their dna, and let women mirror it ;)

    --
    Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
    1. Re:I think I've heard that quote before... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 3, Funny

      Only wimps use tape backup: real men just encode their data into their dna, and let women mirror it ;)

      That can be a hella expensive form of storage. Both maintenance and upgrade costs will just kill you.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  10. Can we just clear something up by safetyinnumbers · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does "1g of bacteria" mean 1000 or 1024 milligrams?

    1. Re:Can we just clear something up by Dilligent · · Score: 3, Funny

      obviosly it means data is being accelerated at 1g on planet bacteria :)

  11. Great - yet another confusing unit of measure by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now we've got three meanings for GB:

    1GB = 10^9
    1GB = 2^30
    1GB = 1 Gram Bacteria

    When will the madness end!?

    --
    When information is power, privacy is freedom.