Is DNA the Future of Data Storage?

What if we wanted to fit the data from 150 smartphones – almost 10,000 gigabytes – in the head of a pin? We can – if our storage material is DNA. A few teams of computer scientists around the world have designed methods for translating digital code into DNA code. They work together with bioengineers who can synthesize DNA, building it from the blocks up. The result? Whatever information you want - text, an image file, or even a video – stored in a strand of DNA.

We want to hear from you: If your hard drive were encoded into DNA, and then that DNA evolved and turned into a living organism, what would it look like? (Don't worry, we are prepared to be terrified by your comments).

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[AnimeHumanCoherence]

If I put all of my files into DNA, and that DNA into a cell, the cell would promptly destroy its own cell walls to be saved from the hell within...

[nataliepreston]

I met a bio scientist on a flight from the UK to San Francisco 7 years ago and he was talking about this then! It was the best flight I have ever been on as I learnt something really out there but really exciting.

[AEther]

Probably a giant arachnid that uses it's forearms as hands and has a human face. Honestly, using this device is like a horror movie.

[talhatariqyuluqatdis]

the life form would be the perfect anime villain. whut. I watch stuff...

[Vnifit]

I like this idea, however I can see many challenges. To use this in say a smart phone, it's great to have super amounts of storage, but it's another thing for when you actually need it. Read and write speeds I fear will not be fast enough to keep up with something like SSD's or flash storage like your phone uses. Yes flash and solid state storage devices don't hold nearly as much data as a traditional hard drive, but they have no moving parts, are reliable, less susceptible to drops and trauma, and have blazing fast read/write speeds. DNA I think will be like tape is today. It will be used for high capacity storage for long term, not used for fast recall like servers, desktops, tablets, phones, etc. need. For example Sony's latest tape drive can hold 185 TB (189, 440 GB) of storage, but is very slow to recall memory. I don't totally dismiss this technology, however there will be some very large challenges to come.

[papajonespizza]

Exactly. This will make the life of millions of students easier. Imagine you can store the whole syllabus of your exam in dna and inject it into your body.

[JewishMusicToronto]

I was just listening to CBC's Spark about this yesterday! It's interesting stuff, and I was surprised by the suggestion that this form of storage would be more durable rather than the opposite being true.

[innerlocus]

My mac's DNA cell mutations as a life form would look like me sound like me,
but being part of the internet would find cell phones and keyboards meaningless outdated connections.

[colevano]

It would look like a cross between GTA V and CS:GO

[Nosirrbro]

My hard drive would come alive and suddenly build a rocket that tries to go to minmus, then gets confused when it isn't there.

[Phoenixmaster-gvsr]

mine would be a human with fully functional wings. It would magically get the extra energy and muscle power to fuel itself. Don't ask

[sebastianbennette]

Can you put links in the description for mobile users?

[MastaChafa]

Well, storing information is not the only problem, but the damage it suffers from being read multiple times. I imagine this is one of the problems the very cells suffer when reproducing lots of times.

all the data on my computer would turn into a leerjet with racing stripes and probably two books of useful information.

[DJdeaddude]

A 3 inch person with a USB shaped head. It could store a practically infinite amount of data, but it screams every time you try to read/write data. I have a weird imagination...

[PyraHydrokorra]

mine would turn into a star ship flying, crafting mining, robot building, one shot killing, op boss of pure skill, with all phasers set to kill.

[dheerajvirgo]

what is the current read/write speed of this storage technology?

[thegamedoctor]

Mine would be an Amalgamation of Secrets of Grindea, Minecraft, Shadow of Mordor, Unturned, and a metric crapload of windows updates.

[adamtschupp]

the problem with DNA data storage is what if you wanted to edit the file rather than just view it? wouldn't you need to make an entirely new piece of DNA for the edited file? and then if you have millions of DNA strands on a computer how do you keep them from tangling or tearing?

[TGRnnj]

That life form would look like us some scientists have already said that we have an extraterrestrial signature encoded in our DNA