The preservation of information is increasingly crucial: this is why companies like Microsoft are studying the "hard disks" of the future.
Among the most promising research is that which focuses on a truly exceptional "physical memory": DNA.
Our DNA is a medium that stores data about us: on IT plan his “performances” are extraordinary.
Like Hard Disk, DNA does not degrade over time. It's like this versatile to contain in just 4 grams all the information produced in an entire year by all of humanity.
In recent years several experiments have already been carried out rescue product on DNA: the biggest? 700k.
The latest study published by researchers Yaniv Erlich and Dina Zielinski tells of the "rescue" largest in history.
The two researchers used 72.000 strands of DNA and saved 6 files inside. A French film, an Amazon gift card, an entire operating system, a computer virus, a clinical study and the information put on the Pioneer probe.
“The most interesting thing wasn't synthesizing the nucleotides that we used to store files,” says Erlich, “as well as develop software capable of 'encoding' the information and making it available for both input and output”. No software errors: the files can be read safely.
As a hard drive, DNA would be the best possible option.
There are many big advantages: first of all the dimensions (you can imagine). DNA can contain 215 Petabytes per gram and last over 100 years, destroying any limits of obsolescence.
DNA has been around for 3 billion years: difficult think that this physical memory (it must be said) soon goes out of fashion.
How soon will it be possible to see this technology in action?
According to the researchers, it will take more than 10 years, “but,” one of them says, “the CD also had a similar development phase before being introduced on the market”.
The Sciencemag Study: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/355/6328/950
