this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2026
126 points (97.7% liked)

Technology

83251 readers
3284 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Around the world, scientists are exploring an unexpected solution to the growing data crisis: storing digital information in synthetic DNA. The idea is simple but powerful—DNA is one of the most compact, durable information systems on Earth.

But one issue has held the field back. Once data is written into DNA, it can’t be changed.

Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are helping solve that problem by transforming DNA from a one-time medium into a rewritable digital hard drive.

“DNA is incredible—it stores life’s blueprint in a tiny, stable package,” Li-Qun “Andrew” Gu, a professor of chemical and biomedical engineering at Mizzou’s College of Engineering, says.

“We wanted to see if we could store and rewrite information at the molecular level faster, simpler, and more efficiently than ever before.”

all 40 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] ianhclark510@lemmy.blahaj.zone 43 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Fuck me, I don’t need DNA prices to spike too ;-;

[–] db2@lemmy.world 32 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Wikipedia is stored in the balls now.

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 19 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Gives a whole new meaning to "data leak"

Along with the pee? Something's gotta go.

[–] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Something to bear in mind is that this is EXTREMELY slow. It's not practical right now and may never be practical.

[–] ftbd@feddit.org 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Not for home computers. But storing data in DNA could become feasible for archiving, as it is very dense and degrades very slowly.

[–] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 7 points 3 weeks ago

Imagine Androids having synthetic balls :)

Finally their brains are down there, too!

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 weeks ago

So we have the Travelers timeline?

Humanity near extinct by the 2400s?

Is the Director gonna save us?

[–] Damarus@feddit.org 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I need the entirety of Shrek in my DNA

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 weeks ago

VLC has already started work on supporting the format

[–] BoxOfFeet@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Where have I seen this before? Was it Star Trek TNG? Fringe? X-Files? Man, this is really familiar. I seem to remember it not turning out well for the courier.

[–] Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Truth is, the game was rigged from the start.

[–] BoxOfFeet@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Ring-a-ding-ding, baby.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Cool, but how long does the data keep? DNA is rather fragile, only the most stable bio-compatible storage. Which is why it needs to be repaired now and then.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That's why you have millions of copies stored.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, but this storage here too?

[–] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 weeks ago

The Verge did a show on Netflix that covered something like this. I think the show was called The Future Of or something like that.

I only watched a couple episodes but one was about how it could be possible to save data in plants. Pretty cool.

[–] QuandaleDingle@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Am I to understand that DNA is more stable when it isn't used for life sustaining processes? Perhaps that is why this method of data archival is potentially feasible.

[–] db2@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

What could possibly go wrong.

[–] silverneedle@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Next to nothing? It's DNA. You have DNA and RNA lying around everywhere on the planet. On every square fucking mil or micrometre. The only thing that can go wrong, so to say, is microbial degradation of DNA.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

is microbial degradation of DNA.

Or radiation. Or chemicals.

[–] silverneedle@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago

Radiation is easy to deal with. You have enclosures. With chemicals I'm quite unsure what you are talking about since technically DNA is a chemical. I'm going to do my original comment a disservice and point out that heat, anything above about 40°c needs to be managed. Though even with this latter issue there are ways to manage coming straight from already existing biological mechanisms.

[–] db2@lemmy.world -4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

What DNA currently out there is dynamically rewritable

[–] ParlimentOfDoom@piefed.zip 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

All of it? That's pretty much what viruses do to whatever they manage to infect.

[–] silverneedle@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago

I am unsure of the adjective's meaning in this context...

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 3 weeks ago

I think about how the body has all sorts of error correction preciesly because dna is vulnerable to being broken. Then though I think about how this is in a warm, growing, and constantly reproducing body and I figure it likely can be more stable in an artificial environment especially if protected from radiation.

[–] gokayburucdev@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Nobody asked the real question? Why especially do they need to store data on DNA?

Human being wrote the data onto rocks, ceramics, papirus, paper, cd, harddisk... But what has happened? why now DNA? Is it the part of a transhuman project (evulotion circle : genesis - humanism - posthumanism - transhumanism)? Do we need to combine machines with organic parts?

Looking at the investments made in computer technology(ai, cloud etc.) , electronics(microchip industry, REEs etc. ), and biology(genom projects) over the last 40 years, I see that someone desperately wants transhumanism.

[–] gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Scientific research doesn't need a reason, that's why.

Coming up with reasons is the job of other people, scientific research is about seeing what's possible, what's not, and how difficult it is.

[–] gokayburucdev@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

But here too, it comes down to money and power. Funding for scientific research is provided by wealthy governments and mega-corporations like FAANG and Neuralink (founded by Elon Musk). This dictates the goals for scientific research. Studies are conducted in areas where it is desired that what is possible be achieved. Currently, billions of dollars are being invested in projects such as artificial intelligence systems, robotics, and genome projects involving cell and tissue regeneration. The claim that science is independent is completely unfounded.

[–] gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

OpenScience is a thing, it's been around for like 30 years

[–] gokayburucdev@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, there are those who are trying to develop it independently, but they can't achieve the desired results quickly enough due to the scoring system.There are those developing vaccines independently, and those conducting genome projects independently, but ultimately, it all comes down to funding.