acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

ACM TechNews

Storing Data in Dna Brings Nature Into the Digital ­niverse


View as: Print Mobile App Share:
The double helix of DNA, embedded with data.

The next frontier of data storage: DNA.

Credit: ymgerman/Shutterstock.com

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) note they currently hold the record (200 MB) for the amount of information stored in and retrieved from DNA molecules.

The general methodology involves assigning digital data patterns to DNA nucleotides, and individual DNA strands must be significantly shorter than digital computer files--about 20 bytes of storage capacity for each strand--as lengthier strands complicate chemical synthesis. Following assignment of letter order, the DNA sequences are fabricated on a letter-by-letter basis with chemical reactions.

A benefit of this process is the simultaneous generation of many identical sequences, which ensures sufficient backup copies.

A sequencing machine that analyzes genomic DNA in cells is employed to read the data back out of storage, with the many backup copies guaranteeing data preservation even as the process destroys the DNA being read.

The UW researchers have developed methods enabling identification and reading of only the specific pieces of information needed for retrieval from DNA storage.

From The Conversation
View Full Article

 

Abstracts Copyright © 2017 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA


 

No entries found

Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account