The internet contains zettabytes of --information that's 10 to the 21st bytes
or 1 billion terabytes, and in the years to come that number is only going to
grow. Our advancements in data-driven technologies, like artificial
intelligence, will also require computers to achieve greater computation speeds
than they have today. Currently, our data is stored in electronic devices using
binary code-- a select pattern of ones and zeros. To retrieve this data applications
are run to extract and process binary code, and present the information in its
original form. But this technology has its limitations, especially as we strive
to design smaller devices. To tackle this problem,
scientists are turning to alternative mechanisms of data storage, using
biomolecules, such as DNA, and vast libraries of synthetic chemicals to
develop innovative approaches to data storage and computation. DNA is a natural
mechanism of data storage; it contains all the genetic instructions
required for our bodies to grow and function.
If DNA can store all our biological data, can it store our digital information too?
Turns out, it can.
Like binary code, DNA stores our genetic information through a sequence of base
units, or nucleotides: Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine and Thymine. With four possible
base units, data that normally requires two numbers of binary can be stored in
one nucleotide. This means informaticians can encode twice the amount of
information in DNA than in binary
So far, scientists have been able to store entire books and music videos in
DNA sequences. These digital and audio files are converted into binary code,
that is translated into a specific sequences of nucleotides-- a strand of DNA
which is then freeze-dried. Once freeze-dried, this DNA, and the
information it contains, can last for thousands of years. When the time comes
to access the stored data, the DNA strands are sequenced and converted back
into binary--or any other base representation.
Besides DNA storage, scientists are developing new molecular storage
strategies using a wide variety of small molecules, including the small molecules
that make up the metabolome. The metabolome is the complete set of all small
molecules in a biological system; it's diverse chemical composition makes
it incredibly information--dense. Think of all the complex processes that occur in
your body at the molecular level--the make-up of your metabolome is the informational
basis for all of these events!
Based on this idea, scientists are creating extensive libraries of
synthetic molecules that, like the metabolome, can be used to encode
information, store it, and even execute complex data computations.
With a mixture of these molecules dissolved in solution, scientists can
retrieve information by analyzing the mixture with a special instrument. The
readout from the instrument indicates the presence or absence of specific
molecules. This information can be converted into a base representation
system code, like binary, which a computer can interpret.
For example, the presence of Molecule A in a sample can be equated to a "1" while
its absence is the equivalent of a "0" in binary-- referencing a pre-established
library, the presence or absence of a molecule in a mixture represents one bit
of information. A 4x4 well-plate with 16 unique mixtures of 4 molecules can then
encode 64 bits of data. Imagine this process on a much larger scale and you
can get an idea of just how much data could be stored this way. Additionally, by
understanding how these molecules will react in certain environments, scientists
can apply different reaction conditions to change the data-storing molecules in
a manner akin to traditional computation. In this way, complex manipulations and
calculations can be performed on data in a multi-dimensional space while it is
stored in a very small volume of solution. This would allow for
sophisticated parallel computing, enhanced pattern recognition, and
improved search algorithms used by popular web services today.
Once we were able to harness the storage and computing powers of small molecules
like DNA and metabolites, we'll be able to contain more information in less
volume, and our electronic devices will become even smaller than they are today.