In this episode, we discussed the future of data storage. Specifically, whether it is plausible to store digital data in DNA, which is more sustainable and efficient than current strategies which utilise hard discs and magnetic tape located in large exabyte centers that cost millions of dollars to maintain. We discuss the challenges of storing data in DNA, and the efforts that are being put into developing new tools to overcome them.
Listen to the episode here
There have been a handful of news articles on this topic:
"DNA: The Ultimate Data-Storage Solution" - Scientific American
"Could all your digital photos be stored as DNA?" - MIT News
"Forget hard drives and data centers, DNA is the future of data storage"- Interesting Engineering
We discussed an original research paper where they managed to encode a draft of a book into DNA oligonucleotides and subsequently re-read the data. Find the article by Church et al. (2012) here.
We discussed how the challenges of error during DNA amplification, which hinders the accuracy and reliability of data in DNA, can be overcome by new technologies such as the very recent use of thermoresponsive microcapsules for repeated random multiplexed data access. Find the article by Bogels et al. (2023) here.
You can find out more about Microsoft's project on DNA storage.
Basic & fundamental research is essential for accelerating the development of DNA data storage technology. Here are some of the research groups and studies we mentioned in the episode:
टिप्पणियां