[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #320: Storing data on DNA

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4Cast #320: Storing data on DNA
February 6th, 2013

DNASeems like it has only been a few years since we were using 3.5" 
floppy disks to store all the data we thought we needed. Now you can 
easily buy a microSD card the size of your thumbnail for less than $10 
that can store the same amount of data as 5,900 floppy disks. And in the 
future, is it possible we might actually be using DNA to store truly 
huge amounts of data? Some researchers in the US and the UK seem 
convinced that is exactly what the future holds in store for us - but 
not for a few decades yet.

  * Half a million DVDs in your DNA
    <http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/01/half-a-million-dvds-in-your-dna.html>
    (Science/Robert F. Service) "Institutions such as the Large Hadron
    Collider, a particle accelerator in Geneva, Switzerland, produce on
    the order of 15 petabytes of data each year. So the need for vast
    archival storage is growing rapidly. Now, such institutions commonly
    archive data by storing it on magnetic tape. Keeping that data safe
    over many decades requires rewriting it at regular intervals, adding
    to the cost of preservation. DNA, on the other hand, can be stable
    for thousands of years if kept in a cool, dry place."
  * Why DNA will someday replace the hard drive
    <http://www.technologyreview.com/news/510246/why-dna-will-someday-replace-the-hard-drive/>
    (MIT Technology Review/Katherine Bourzac) "The magnetic tapes
    typically used for archival storage become brittle and lose their
    coating after a few decades. And even if the physical medium used to
    store information remains intact, storage formats are always
    changing. This means the data has to be transferred to a new format
    or it may become unreadable. DNA, in contrast, remains stable over
    time-and it's one format that's always likely to be useful."
  * DNA data storage
    <http://www.engineeringontheedge.com/2013/02/dna-data-storage/>
    (Engineering On The Edge/Brian Albright) "The researchers converted
    their data into binary code, then converted it into trinary code
    (0s, 1s, and 2s). The data was then rewritten as strings of DNA
    chemical bases (As, Gs, Cs, and Ts). By encoding the information
    multiple times, they ensured it could be read back with 100% accuracy."
  * The future of data storage revealed in molecules of DNA
    <http://blogs.computerworld.com/data-storage/20865/future-data-storage-revealed>
    (Computerworld/Chris Poelker) "The article states that the
    researchers believe it would only take 1.5 milligrams of DNA (the
    weight of a small mosquito) to store one petabyte of data. The
    implications of this news are astounding. If this innovative way of
    storing data actually becomes commercially viable, we would be able
    to fit the entire Library of Congress in a test tube. All the data
    housed on the Internet could be stored in a small closet."

*/Cost fact:/*

DNA synthesis is currently so expensive, it would only make sense to use 
DNA storage for data intended to be kept for 500 years or more. Prices 
are dropping, however, and DNA data storage is expected to be 
cost-effective for general use within 50 years.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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