Microsoft Buys Into DNA Data Storage (ieee.org)

the_newsbeagle writes: More than 2.5 exabytes of data is created every day, and some experts estimate that 90% of all data in the world today was created in the last two years. Clearly, storing all this data is becoming an issue. One idea is DNA data storage, in which digital files are converted into the genetic code of four nucleotides (As, Cs, Gs, and Ts). Microsoft just announced that it's testing out this idea, getting synthetic bio company Twist Bioscience to produce 10 million strands of DNA that encode some mystery file the company provided. Using DNA for long-term data storage is attractive because it's durable and efficient. For example, scientists can read the genome from a woolly mammoth hair dating from 20,000 years ago.

Comments

This is a dumb idea.

[Doubting Sapien]

Ancient mammoth DNA didn't persevere in casual ambient conditions. They were only able to retrieve genetic material because the animal's corpse had been preserved by permafrost. DNA storage of actual data would require cooling solutions an order of magnitude more intense than what is currently used to keep a data center running. Most people don't realize how much nucleic acid digesting enzymes are in our normal environment. A great deal of the sticky slimy residue generated copiously by our bodies are the chewed up DNA remnants of microbial organisms that our immune system keeps in check. This is to say nothing of the difficulty involved with reading/writing of said data. You DON'T want to go down that rabbit hole.