Microsoft: Data in DNA- project!


-Abbhirami




This is serious. Microsoft is currently working on mouth – gaping projects. And I am stunned. As the name says, the objective of the project is storage of data.

With an increasing number of data, things are getting more complicated. Storage and retrieval are one of the most complicated things when it comes to data handling. To overcome this, Microsoft has come up with a shocking idea of storing large chunks of data in DNA!


A bit of biology here, our DNA has lot of strands that are responsible for physical characteristics. And they know how to build protein.

Now the computer concepts with the above mentioned, Microsoft and University of Washington has decided DNA to be high-density, durable, easy-to-manipulate medium. So they have chosen DNA to be a storage medium. Using DNA to archive data is an attractive possibility because it is extremely dense (up to about 1 exabyte per cubic millimeter) and durable (half-life of over 500 years).
This is not practical yet, but DNA synthesis and sequencing are rapidly developing in biotech industry, which can provide a humongous support in getting this project done.

But why DNA? Do we have no other options out there? The answers that given by Microsoft for placing data on DNA is quite convincing but I think there can be something else which could help, because nobody wants to mess up with DNAs. 

Currently synthetic DNAs are used, we know that the data will still keep rocketing up and at last it had to be the real DNAs that will help.
We are heading closer to Singularity. I guess.  


Leave a like if you found my article to be interesting.


Comments

Popular Posts