Here’s Microsoft’s secret recipe for storage success: salt and DNA DNA storage
Microsoft researchers waited more than two years to be assigned a patent that brings the possibility of storing data on DNA a little closer – a move likely to make backup media such as tape obsolete.
The High-density DNA storage with salt patent (no. 10,793,852) was filed back in 2018, but only received approval at the USPTO in October 2020.
It reads like a kitchen recipe, referring to a dried product formed by “drying a salt solution together with artificially synthesized DNA molecules encoding digital information”. Apparently, the cations and anions at play do not influence the result of the process.
Salt solution?
Drying the DNA with salt prevents it from degrading too fast; Microsoft researchers found that removing liquid reduces the rate of degradation by nearly 70% compared with untreated DNA. Likewise, the dry product formed from DNA and a salt have a far higher DNA density, by almost one third.
DNA storage with salt seems to be an exciting (albeit far-fetched) candidate for long-term, high-density storage for archival purposes. Unsurprisingly, the patent is coy about timeframes and storage capacities, which is understandable given how far we are from getting a product.
The news comes a few days after Microsoft announced it has joined forces with Western Digital, the world’s largest storage company, and a few others to launch the DDSA (DNA Data Storage Alliance) . The initiative aims to standardize and promote the adoption of a potential future DNA-based storage system.
Microsoft researchers waited more than two years to be assigned a patent that brings the possibility of storing data on DNA a little closer – a move likely to make backup media such as tape obsolete. The High-density DNA storage with salt patent (no. 10,793,852) was filed back in 2018,…
Recent Posts
- The importance of the Vulnerability Operations Centre for cybersecurity
- Razer’s Kishi Ultra gaming controller brings haptics to your USB-C phone, PC, or tablet
- Amazon’s Fallout has been renewed for season 2
- Quordle today – hints and answers for Friday, April 19 (game #816)
- NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Friday, April 19 (game #47)
Archives
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011