Around the world, scientists are exploring an unexpected solution to the growing data crisis: storing digital information in synthetic DNA. The idea is simple but powerful—DNA is one of the most compact, durable information systems on Earth.

But one issue has held the field back. Once data is written into DNA, it can’t be changed.

Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are helping solve that problem by transforming DNA from a one-time medium into a rewritable digital hard drive.

“DNA is incredible—it stores life’s blueprint in a tiny, stable package,” Li-Qun “Andrew” Gu, a professor of chemical and biomedical engineering at Mizzou’s College of Engineering, says.

“We wanted to see if we could store and rewrite information at the molecular level faster, simpler, and more efficiently than ever before.”

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[–] 42 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Fuck me, I don’t need DNA prices to spike too ;-;

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  • [–] 7 points 8 months ago

    So we have the Travelers timeline?

    Humanity near extinct by the 2400s?

    Is the Director gonna save us?

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  • [–] 11 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

    Something to bear in mind is that this is EXTREMELY slow. It's not practical right now and may never be practical.

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  • [–] 3 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    Where have I seen this before? Was it Star Trek TNG? Fringe? X-Files? Man, this is really familiar. I seem to remember it not turning out well for the courier.

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  • [–] 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

    Cool, but how long does the data keep? DNA is rather fragile, only the most stable bio-compatible storage. Which is why it needs to be repaired now and then.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago

    The Verge did a show on Netflix that covered something like this. I think the show was called The Future Of or something like that.

    I only watched a couple episodes but one was about how it could be possible to save data in plants. Pretty cool.

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  • [–] 4 points 8 months ago (14 children)

    What could possibly go wrong.

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  • [+] 6 points 8 months ago (12 children)
  • [–] -3 points 8 months ago (9 children)

    What DNA currently out there is dynamically rewritable

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  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago (7 children)

    All of it? That's pretty much what viruses do to whatever they manage to infect.

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  • [+] -10 points 8 months ago (6 children)

    So a virus can rewrite a cat in to a dog or a giraffe? You're talking small changes over a long time. A 400TB drive that you can only change 800KB every century or so would be useless.

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  • [–] 7 points 8 months ago (5 children)

    ...no?

    I said the mechanism exists. Dna is rewritable by it's very nature-which is what you had issue with: the DNA, not the the thing doing the writing.

    At no point did I imply that there's something rewriting entire genomes.

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  • [–] -4 points 8 months ago (4 children)

    OK buddy. I don't think you're being genuine here so I'm just going to block and move on.

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  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    It sounds like you are pulling ideas out of your ass then getting angry about them.

    Better block everyone else on Lemmy, too.

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    [–] 1 point 8 months ago

    Am I to understand that DNA is more stable when it isn't used for life sustaining processes? Perhaps that is why this method of data archival is potentially feasible.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago

    I think about how the body has all sorts of error correction preciesly because dna is vulnerable to being broken. Then though I think about how this is in a warm, growing, and constantly reproducing body and I figure it likely can be more stable in an artificial environment especially if protected from radiation.

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  • [+] 1 point 8 months ago* (2 children)
  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    Scientific research doesn't need a reason, that's why.

    Coming up with reasons is the job of other people, scientific research is about seeing what's possible, what's not, and how difficult it is.

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  • 8 comments in c/technology@lemmy.zip view that post
    [–] 4 points 8 months ago* (5 children)

    Sweet, when can I become a data courier like Keanu in Johnny Mnemonic? Except in the real world version, I upload my data by jizzing into something. Or someone. 😏

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  • [–] 4 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    How do you know you're not one already?

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago

    Imagine you’re just living your life, some aliens fly over, abduct you, probe you and take samples.

    “Ah, yes, this lifeform is the one we created to saved the sad-Pluk’tak’un memes in”

    Then they release you. Your whole species exists to propagate a folder of memes and alien porn.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago