Scientists have now figured out how to use DNA to create a device that will store an almost unlimited amount of data. This new DNA-based storage device is similar in concept to that of a magnetic tape. It looks like a cassette tape from the 1980s, so the scientists that created are calling it, wait for it… a “DNA cassette tape.”
The idea of using DNA for storing data is an attractive one as it can do so without using electricity. Using DNA to store massive amounts of data could eliminate the need for large data centers that take up space and use large amounts of energy. 4.4 percent of all electricity in the U.S. was consumed by data centers, according to a 2023 study. That number is only going to go up as more AI data centers are created.
According to a study on the concept, recently published in the journal Science Advances, a prototype of the DNA cassette tape can hold 36 petabytes of data (equal to 36,000 terabyte hard drives), or the equivalent of over three billion songs.
One of the main difficulties in using DNA for storage is the ability to access the data. Xingyu Jiang at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Guangdong, China, explained to New Scientist that he and his colleagues overcame this problem by overlaying a series of barcodes on the tape to assist with retrieval.
“This process is like finding a book in the library,” he said. “We first need to find the shelf corresponding to the book, then find the book on the corresponding shelf.”
Another benefit of the DNA cassette tape the scientists created is that it is coated in what they describe as “crystal armour” made of zeolitic imidazolate. That means that the DNA bonds won’t break down and the stored data will be accessible for centuries.
Previous scientific efforts in the field of DNA have produced things like a computer that learned how to play chess and Sudoku, and computers that can assemble themselves then start solving problems. However, some scientists who are trying to create artificial human DNA from scratch are getting push-back over numerous ethical concerns.
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Scientists Created A ‘DNA Cassette Tape’ That Can Store Billions Of Photos, Every Song Ever Recorded
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