Store a movie in a DNA molecule?

Two scientists from Columbia University and the New York Genome Center manage to store in a DNA molecule the film filmed by the Lumière brothers in 1895.

Although it may seem like it, it is not science fiction. And two scientists from Columbia University (USA) and the New York Genome Center have managed to store in a DNA molecule the film filmed by the Lumière brothers in 1895.

Geneticists Yaniv Erlich and Dina Zielinski created a 2 MB folder with several files, including the movie, an operating system, a mathematical text and even an Amazon gift card. Using an algorithm, these scientists have managed to convert the traditional zeros and ones of the binary code into “DNA language” that uses the letters A, G, C and T, creating a storage unit in a DNA molecule.

Once encoded in this way, the molecule is kept cold in a laboratory until the information needs to be recovered. Then the reverse process is done: going from letter language to binary and reproducing the information on a computer.

In 2012, Harvard researchers compressed a 53,400-page book into the genetic code of synthetic DNA molecules and then went on to read the data using DNA sequencing.

However, this new experience has gone much further in optimization by multiplying storage efficiency by a hundred times, managing to store 215 petabyres in a single gram of DNA.

This experience demonstrates that the use of DNA for storage is promising due to its higher density than tape, disk, and optical media. It would also allow information to be stored for thousands of years if kept in the right conditions. However, it is noteworthy that $3,500 per megabyte has been invested in the experience, so the high cost could be an impediment that could disappear over time thanks to the evolution of synthetic DNA.