Data encoded in an organism's DNA, and inherited by each new generation, could be safely archived for hundreds of thousands of years, the researchers state. In contrast, CD-ROMs, flash memory and hard disk drives can easily fall victim to accidents or natural disasters.
In their report, the researchers describe a method for copying and pasting data, encoded as artificial DNA, into the genome of Bacillus subtilis, (B. subtilis) a common soil bacterium, "thus acquiring versatile data storage and the robustness of data inheritance." The researchers demonstrated the method by using a strain of B. subtilis to store the message: "E=MC2 1905!" Albert Einstein's famous 1905 energy-mass equivalence equation.
"We suggest that this simple, flexible and robust method offers a practical solution to data storage and retrieval challenges in combination with other, previously published techniques," the report states.
ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Alignment-Based Approach for Durable Data Storage into Living Organisms"
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CONTACT:
Yoshiaki Ohashi, Ph.D.
Keio University
Human Metabolome Technologies, Inc
Yamtagata, Japan
Phone: 81-235-29-0526
Fax: 81-235-29-0529
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Contact: Michael Woods
m_woods@acs.org
202-872-4400
American Chemical Society
19-Feb-2007