In a groundbreaking development, scientists at Keio University in Japan have discovered a revolutionary way to store data for thousands of years using living bacteria instead of traditional storage media like hard drives or CDs. This innovative approach was highlighted in the June issue of *American Discovery* magazine.
The idea is simple yet profound: encode information into the DNA of bacteria, allowing it to be preserved and replicated over time. To prove the concept, researchers successfully embedded Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc², along with the year 1905, into the genome of *Bacillus subtilis*, a harmless soil bacterium known for its resilience.
This method leverages the natural ability of DNA to store vast amounts of information. Each character in the message "E=mc21905!" was first converted into binary code (a sequence of 0s and 1s), then translated into combinations of nucleotides—A, C, G, and T. By using custom encoding techniques, the team transformed the binary data into DNA sequences that could be inserted into the bacterial plasmid, a small circular piece of DNA.
To ensure successful integration, the researchers also added an antibiotic resistance gene to the plasmid, making it easier to identify bacteria that had successfully incorporated the new data. Through this process, they demonstrated that even after significant genetic changes, up to 99% of the original data could still be retrieved.
This technology has far-reaching implications. Unlike traditional storage methods, which are limited by physical degradation and obsolescence, DNA-based storage could outlast human civilization itself. As one researcher noted, “If we face extinction, how can we leave information for future life forms? Current storage methods won’t survive, but DNA could.â€
Moreover, this approach could open the door to communication with extraterrestrial life, should it also be based on DNA. The universality of DNA makes it a powerful medium for long-term information preservation.
Currently, the team can store about 200,000 symbols in a single bacterium. According to one researcher, this is enough to hold roughly one-fifth of the New Testament. With further advancements, the potential for storing massive amounts of data in living organisms becomes increasingly real.
Experts like Laila Cary from the University of Western Ontario have praised the immense data density of DNA, noting that just 5 grams of DNA could hold as much data as a 150-hectare IBM hard drive. This discovery marks a major step forward in the field of biocomputing and offers a glimpse into the future of data storage.
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