Future Of BioTechnology In Field Of Information Technology

#Microsoft_Tests_DNA_Data_Storage_Ability_with_Shocking_Results


There have been some incredible advances in data storage technology in the last several decades, moving from magnetic tape to optical discs to solid state drives. But with demand for storage capacity continuing to grow exponentially, Microsoft researchers are re-examining
a form of data storage technology that is billions of years old: #DNA.
The tiny molecule responsible for transmitting the genetic data for every living thing on earth could be the answer to the IT industry’s quest for a more compact storage medium.

                         In fact, researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington recently succeeded in storing #200_MB of data on a few strands of DNA, occupying a small dot on a test tube many times smaller than the tip of a pencil.

                         Despite the small space occupied by the DNA strands, the researchers were nonetheless able to successfully store and retrieve high-definition digital data,  #From_Binary_to_Biology

                          DNA has several advantages as a storage medium. Besides being compact, it is also extremely durable, capable of lasting for a very long time if kept in good conditions.
To store the data as DNA, the binary bits of machine language must first be translated into one of the four nucleotide bases that make up a DNA strand: adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine. The molecules are then synthetically built following the coding rules. The result is what appears to be a bit of dried salt at the bottom of a test tube.

                              The team then uses a technique normally employed by molecular biologists known as #PCR to make multiple copies of the DNA strands they want to read. They can then sample, sequence, and decode the relevant data.

The entire process is currently too expensive to use to replace magnetic tape storage. But with the costs of tools to manipulate DNA falling thanks to a growing biotech industry, using DNA to store data may eventually become more cost-effective.