Scientists create million-year data storage with DNA

[Archean]

Scientists create million-year data storage with DNA


Storing data in DNA is potentially useful for several reasons, not least of which it’s an extremely high capacity method. It’s not a direct comparison, but the human genome is several dozen gigabytes in size, depending on how you measure. All that information is stored in a tiny bundle of DNA packed inside a nucleus just a few micrometers across. DNA is also remarkably sturdy for an organic molecule. When it’s protected inside fossils, DNA can remain readable for thousands of years. This is what the ETH Zurich team is working on — keeping the data viable by protecting the DNA carrier. They basically made tiny synthetic fossils.