A big step forward for data storage using DNA

DNA molecules have an information density many times higher than that developed by any physical human being. One gram of DNA can theoretically store 215 petabytes. Therefore, researchers have long investigated various possibilities for using DNA to store large amounts of data.

So far, it's all still a matter of basic research and practical applications are elusive, but researchers at Peking University have developed a new technology that takes a big step in the right direction. In a report published in nature They go through technology and various test results.

Previous DNA storage technologies synthesized new DNA molecules to “write” data, but Chinese researchers' new technology does this by exploiting epigenetics, placing ready-made nucleic acids along universal “DNA templates.” They showed how they could write 275,000 bits using an automated platform with 350 bits per interaction.

This corresponds to about 40 bits per second, so there is still a long way to go before it is commercially viable, but it is much faster and above all cheaper than synthesis.

The researchers also built a machine to write data to DNA, and tested it on 60 people with no laboratory experience. Everyone was able to correctly write 5,000 bits of data into the DNA.