You might be familiar with a gigabyte, one of the most popular units of measure for computer storage. A two-hour movie is 3 gigabytes on average, while your phone can probably store 256 gigabytes.
But did you know that your body also stores information in its own way?
We see this in DNA, which has the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive, and reproduce. In computing storage terms, each cell of our body contains about 1.5 gigabytes worth of data. And with about 30 trillion cells in our bodies, we could theoretically store about 45 trillion gigabytes—also known as 45 zettabytes—which is equivalent to about one fourth of all the data in the world today.
Recently, a group of researchers was able to develop a technology that allows computer storage and processing using DNA’s ability to store information by turning genetic code into binary code. This technology could have a major impact on the way we do computing and digital storage.
To explain more about this technology, SciFri guest host Sophie Bushwick is joined by two professors from North Carolina State University’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Dr. Albert Keung and Dr. Orlin Velev.
Further Reading
- Explore recent research on DNA computing via Nature Portfolio.
Segment Guests
Albert Keung
Dr. Albert Keung is an associate professor, University Faculty Scholar & Goodnight Distinguished Scholar in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Orlin Velev
Dr. Orlin Velev is the S. Frank and Doris Culberson Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Sophie Bushwick
@sophiebushwickSophie Bushwick is senior news editor at New Scientist in New York, New York. Previously, she was a senior editor at Popular Science and technology editor at Scientific American.
About Andrea Valeria Diaz Tolivia
@AndreaValeriaDTAndrea Valeria Diaz Tolivia is a radio production fellow at Science Friday. Her topics of interest include the environment, engineering projects, science policy and any science topic that could make for a great sci-fi plot.