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Since the dawn of computing, scientists have toyed with the idea of using DNA to store data
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MIT has developed a polymer similar to amber that allows DNA to be kept intact for a long time
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the molecule of life. Other molecules necessary for life as we know it are possible, but DNA holds a special place among them all. It does this because it contains the instructions that tell the cells How to make proteins Or RNA molecules. It is also responsible for genetic inheritance. However, this is by no means all.
Since the birth of computing, scientists have toyed with the idea of using DNA to encode and store information. After all, this is their natural function within a living organism. However, they faced many problems. Manipulating them is not easy, but what is more difficult is preserving them over time without decomposing in order to restore the information previously stored in the molecule in perfect condition.
Like many of their colleagues, James Bagnall, Jeremiah Johnson, and other MIT chemists advocate that DNA is the storage method of the future. In fact, its density is so great that it would be possible to store the information in all the computers and servers on the planet the size of a coffee cup if they were filled with DNA molecules. Now, thanks to these scientists, we are closer than ever to making that happen.
Michael Crichton was right
The starting point in the famous science fiction novel “Jurassic Park” by Michael Crichton suggests that dinosaur DNA could last for millions of years in good condition inside an amber crystal. It occurred to the MIT researchers I mentioned in the previous paragraph that they might be able to develop a polymer capable of behaving with DNA just as amber does in Crichton’s novel. And they achieved it.
MIT technology allows DNA to be preserved intact for very long periods of time, making it possible to use it as a means of mass storage of information.
In the scientific article they published in the magazine American Chemical Society They advocate that their “T-REX” method (which they named in honor of their source of inspiration) allows DNA to be maintained intact for very long periods of time, making it possible to use it as a Storing large amounts of information. Or to store the entire human genome. Most current DNA preservation methods require keeping it at a very low temperature, which entails significant energy consumption.
However, the polymer developed by MIT allows DNA molecules to be preserved at room temperature. In addition, it protects it from heat and water to prevent deterioration. To prove the success of their innovation, these scientists encoded the main theme of the “Jurassic Park” soundtrack and an entire human genome, stored it in the DNA inside their polymer and later recovered it successfully and without damaging it.
“Freezing DNA is the most common way to preserve it, but it is very expensive and not scalable.” […] I think our new preservation method will be a technology that has the potential to do just that Powering the future of storage digital information in DNA” James Bagnall saysOne of the MIT chemists involved in this experiment.
It sounds great, there’s no doubt about it, but we must not forget that this technology is at an early development stage, and many innovations ultimately fail to leave the laboratory and reach industry. I hope this doesn’t happen to T-REX. Who knows, maybe in a few years our computers will be able to do without solid-state drives and opt for this avant-garde storage system.
Image | Chokniti Khongchum
More information | American Chemical Society
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