In the last few years, humanity has created more data than in all of history combined -- a remarkable level of output with no signs of slowing down. But where are we going to put all of it?
Though scientists are constantly increasing hard drive sizes to hold humanity's information, and many of them believe this could be done indefinitely, some suggest these efforts will eventually be outrun by the exponential rate at which we generate data. In response to such worries, scientists have been looking into a rather unique solution -- storing files, photos and documents on nature's very own information database: DNA.
DNA is both vast and condensed enough to contain an unfathomable amount of data in hyper small spaces. After all, the double helix strands protect our bodies' entire blueprints while tucked inside cell nuclei merely 10 micrometers wide. Plus, DNA is naturally abundant and can withstand super harsh conditions on Earth. Scientists can even retrieve genetic information from DNA that's several centuries old.
"Every day, several petabytes of data are generated on the internet. Only one gram of DNA would be sufficient to store that data. That's how dense DNA is as a storage medium," Kasra Tabatabaei, a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, said in a statement.
Tabatabaei is the co-author of a new study, published in last month's edition of the journal Nano Letters, that may well take the DNA data storage concept to great heights. Essentially, the study team is the first to artificially extend the DNA alphabet, which could allow for massive storage capacities and accommodate a pretty extreme level of digital data.
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