How DNA could solve the long-term data storage crisis

The article discusses the potential of DNA as a revolutionary medium for long-term digital data storage, addressing the growing crisis of preserving the vast amounts of information generated daily. Traditional storage technologies such as magnetic drives and optical discs face limitations in cost, durability, and energy consumption, while global data production continues to soar, reaching approximately 181 zettabytes by the end of the year. DNA, with its exceptional density and longevity, offers a promising alternative: a single gram can theoretically store a trillion gigabytes and preserve data for thousands of years. This concept, initially proposed by physicist Richard Feynman in 1959, was practically demonstrated in 2012 when researchers at Harvard encoded a book, images, and a computer program into synthetic DNA strands. DNA data storage works by translating digital information into sequences of the four nucleotide bases (A, T, C, G) using specialized algorithms that optimize for efficiency and error resistance. Synthetic DNA strands, about 200 bases long, act as molecular files that