Scientists use E. coli to store data

Scientists are experimenting with the ability to store electronic data in E. coli.

According BlueSci student magazine of Cambridge (UK), researchers from the University of Hong Kong has managed to place 90GB of data into the DNA of a cluster of E. coli 18. Data can also be encoded by specific location genetic recombination - a completely natural process that means the data can be cluttered up.

Science is mystical

There are about 10 million cells in a gram of bacteria, and each cell can hold about 5GB, which can lead to huge storage capacities. In addition, other types of cells can withstand stronger radiation, which means that cells (and data in them) will survive a nuclear explosion.

However, the discovery still has a lot to do, as data access is "tedious and expensive". That, and the DNA cells could mutate, could destroy some of the stored data. Due to these threats, testing is only carried out on genetically modified organisms and limited to the storage of copyright information.