British scientists develop "gene drive": Large capacity data will not be lost

British researchers used synthetic DNA to store data such as text documents, pictures, and sound files, and then read them completely.

New Medium Imitation Base

The European Institute of Biological Information Research group at Hinkston the key to using dnahttp://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/17326.html ">" to store data is DNA base. The double helix structure of DNA has 4 chemical groups, the nuclear base, which are arranged in a particular order to form genetic information that directs the growth and development of the organism.

The researchers developed a DNA digital storage system that also uses the 4 base "letters" to develop custom code that is completely different from what the organism uses "language." When copying a copy of a computer file, the DNA digital storage System first translates the binary number in the hard drive information into custom code, and then uses a standard DNA synthesis machine to produce the corresponding base sequence. This sequence is not a long molecule, but rather a plurality of repeating fragments, each carrying some index details and defining their place in the whole sequence.

Such a system, while redundant, has the advantage that the data will not be lost even if some fragments are damaged.

The standard device used by molecular biology laboratories to read biological DNA can read information and immediately appear on a computer screen.

Large storage Long

One of the notable advantages of DNA as a digital storage medium is its large capacity, the researchers wrote in a paper published by the journal Nature. The BBC 23rd quoted research team member Nick Goldman as saying that DNA molecules are an incredibly dense storage medium, with 1 grams of DNA capable of storing about 2 bytes, equivalent to about 3 million CDs.

The paper says that storing data with DNA can last up to thousands of years. Unlike storage media such as hard drives and tapes, DNA does not require regular maintenance. In the way of reading, DNA storage does not involve compatibility issues.

The researchers believe that some of the information that is not commonly used but needs to be kept, such as government documents and historical files, is especially suitable for DNA storage. However, they acknowledge that it is "surprisingly expensive" to use it to store information at this stage, given the cost of laboratory synthetic DNA molecules, but as technology develops, "genetic drives" are expected to enter the home of ordinary people. (Xinhua News Feature Huangmin)

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)