There have been some incredible advances in data storagetechnology in the last several decades, moving from magnetic tape to optical discs to solid state drives. But with demand for storage capacity continuing to grow exponentially, Microsoft researchers are re-examining a form of data storage technology that is billions of years old: DNA.
The tiny molecule responsible for transmitting the genetic data for every living thing on earth could be the answer to the IT industry’s quest for a more compact storage medium. In fact, researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington recently succeeded in storing 200 MB of data on a few strands of DNA, occupying a small dot on a test tube many times smaller than the tip of a pencil.
The Internet in a Shoebox
Despite the small space occupied by the DNA strands, the researchers were nonetheless able to successfully store and retrieve high-definition digital video, the top 100 books from Project Guttenberg, and copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in more than 100 languages.
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