DNA is nature’s natural memory system. This molecule is made up of the chemical bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine (abbreviated as A, C, G, and T), which pair up to form a double helix. The order of these bases determines the genetic blueprint of every organism.
To store data in DNA, the file is converted from a binary code of 0’s and 1’s to a series of As, C, G, and T’s. Her website for Biomemory allows users to enter the text messages they want to save into a Google Translate-like interface, which converts the text messages into DNA code. The biomemory then custom-builds a DNA strand from that code, chemically synthesizing it base by base to match the desired sequence. Elwani said the company’s current process takes about eight hours to create one kilobyte worth of data.
Since the DNA is synthesized in solution, the next step is to dry it to extend its shelf life. Taking inspiration from microchip-embedded credit cards first introduced in France in the 1980s, scientists at BioMemory have developed a silver credit card with a circular chip that holds dried DNA. designed a device like this. To preserve the DNA, the cards are sealed to prevent oxygen from entering.
Alwani said customers will be given two identical cards, one for safekeeping and one to test the data capture process. To get the message, the customer mails him one of the cards. The card is opened and the dried DNA is rehydrated and read in a sequencer. An array consisting of As, Cs, Gs, Ts is emailed to the customer, who can connect it to her website in Biomemory and convert it into a text message.
Alwani sees DNA as a potential long-term storage option for people looking for a secure way to store data with sentimental value. Nicholas Guys, principal scientist at Georgia Tech’s Cybersecurity, Information Protection, and Hardware Evaluation Research (CIPHER) Institute, said customers use cards to store information that won’t change over time, such as: He says he can see himself doing it. Important passwords, safe key locations, beloved family recipes, messages to children and grandchildren, and more.
“It has to be something you want to keep forever, but you don’t take it out often,” Gies says. “You can’t do much with a kilobyte, but if you go a little bigger, you can store family photos and home videos.”
