Boffins store text message inside E. coli bacteria using electromagnetic signal – and you'll never guess what it says
- Reference: 1610451133
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/01/12/e_coli_dna_data_storage/
- Source link:
Although DNA – the biological source code of life – is being widely investigated as a potential digital storage medium, the vast majority of DNA-based data storage approaches rely on synthesised DNA stored outside living organisms.
[1]
A group of researchers led by Harris Wang, associate professor at New York's Columbia University, say they have shown that by using electrical signals to tune biomolecules and sensors in cells, they could transfer digital data from a computer to living cells.
Using a CRISPR-based DNA recorder, the team said it was able to write all possible states of a 3-bit binary data stream into living cells, which could be stacked and "barcoded" to increase memory capacity.
"This work establishes a direct digital-to-biological data storage framework and advances our capacity for information exchange between silicon and carbon-based entities," states the [2]research paper published in Nature Chemical Biology .
"Data stored in these 'living hard drives' are stably maintained and effectively protected – over multiple cell generations – from external environments where naked DNA would otherwise be degraded," the paper adds.
As well as a new scope for data storage, the researchers reckon the study could also provide the basis for technologies that hide data "within a natural microbial community to enable an additional layer of data security by obscurity".
Professor Wang told The Register that, as far as he was aware, the work was the first to demonstrate the direct encoding of digital data into living cells.
"Other past methods have to chemically encode the DNA outside of the cells and then put them in the cells in at least a two-step process. Here, we get the cells to recognize external stimuli that are in the form of electrical pulses thus allowing the cells to talk to a computer directly," he said.
The researchers were able to encode a 12-byte text message directly into cell of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria by splitting the text into 12 individual 6-bit characters, with each assigned to two barcoded cell populations holding 3-bit data each. The message the researchers stored? They were unable to resist the temptation to write "hello world!" – [3]a homage to computing history .
DNA contains billions of combinations of just four nucleotides, which means it has the potential to become a slow but dense and long-lasting storage media. Soviet physicist Mikhail Neiman first proposed the idea in the 1960s, but working studies were not developed until the 21st century.
For example, Microsoft and the University of Washington have been collaborating on DNA-based storage since 2015, and claimed to have stored 1GB of data in DNA to date – everything from great literary works to cat pictures. But [4]their work relied on synthesised DNA , and retrieving data from individual strands using a DNA sequencer could take around 10 hours.
Despite the advance to coding data into living cells, Professor Wang pointed out the barriers before adoption of these technologies becomes practical. He said researchers would need to show they could encode the data faster into a greater population of cells at the same time, both of which will increase the throughput and scale of the data streams. Work is also required on developing longer-read sequencing approaches that can help us decode the message more efficiently.
[5]
"Ultimately, we're not expecting this to directly compete with real-time data storage systems, but rather allow computers to be able to directly talk to cells and vice versa in real-time for new applications in Biocomputing," he said. ®
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Re: For how long, I wonder
Bacteria cells typically divide no slower than once every 24 hours.
By comparison, the average human heart muscle cell lasts about 40 years, and human brain cells are estimated to survive for over 200 years (we simply don't know what their upper limit is).
I think this is a sh!t idea.
So you're going to store your valuable data on a bacterium that someone can pick up from a doorknob? There's data security down the toilet.
Re: It's gone viral!
So you're going to store your valuable data on a bacterium that someone can pick up from a doorknob? There's data security down the toilet.
It's fine. Think of it as contact tracing, without the need for 'smart' phones. Your hands may or may not have been involved in a bit more than a 3-way handshake. Alternatively, it could mean Monsanto's lawyers are seeking new pastures. Copyright, trademark or patent your personalised E.coli greeting, sue anyone it's detected in/on for IPR infringement, like wot they did with various GMO stuff.
I think they're sponsoring storage upgrades though so it can contain at least "All your base pairs are belong to us!". Could be highly lucrative though given scope for fees + damages for simple (and involuntary) copying, along with creating potentially millions of unlicensed derivative works.
Not what I'd write...
Given I'm from the generation that took great joy from getting the ZX Spectrums, Acorn Electrons, (even a Jupiter Ace), in WH Smiths* to write something rude on an infinite loop then "Hello world" is not what I would have written into that DNA.
*other clueless vendors of computers are available
Re: Not what I'd write...
I would probably have given a nod to the bacteria name & the Shamen in what I wrote
Domestos* - kills 99% of all known computer bugs ;o)
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Plus, How long before a SysAdmin has to admit (s)he forgot to feed the data store?
*Other noxious to life cleaning agents are available
I'll get my coat.
Re: Domestos* - kills 99% of all known computer bugs ;o)
hah, now I have visions of computer hackers about to be raided by the police running around frantically cleaning.
Re: Domestos* - kills 99% of all known computer bugs ;o)
I have visions of Audrey 2... and that's the server .
After all, the thing about living cells is that eventually they evolve.
"Hello world!" ?
They should have stored "Now wash your hands"
Re: "Hello world!" ?
No, no,... It will evolve and soon the message will become "goodbye world!". Then, by a spark of evolution, E. coli becomes self aware and designs a rocket to leave this world in an attempt to execute the encoded wording.
Re: "Hello world!" ?
Has anyone checked human DNA for what our predecessors wrote in it?
Re: "Hello world!" ?
They've been doing this for a while then - I've had an e-coli infection that tried to turn me into a rocket.
Lets get this out there!
Memo to all Tin Foil Hat Wearers. Scientists working for Big Government have a new method to infiltrate their tracking technology directly into your body via germs. The only way to protect yourself is to wear a mask, wash hands, maintain social distancing. Bill Gates doesn't want you to know this, which is why they will try and censor this message.
Joke alert
"Despite the advance to coding data into living cells, Professor Wang pointed out the barriers before adoption of these technologies becomes practical."
i.e how to stop students trying to insert *their* wang into whatever appropriately shaped hole in a computer case they can find just so they can pretend to transfer data.....
The message will be ...
This virus brought to you via a 5G network.
hello world ?
I was expecting [1]this .
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5a0jTc9S10
Re: hello world ?
That's a relief. I was expecting goatse.
Re: hello world ?
I was expecting numerous variations on I LOVE YOU ...
Re: hello world ?
I was hoping for a Cornholio reference. Or Mr. Hankey? HiDeHo!
New meaning to versioning
Nice to see V1.0.2 now finally being available on the mRNA string of the Pfizer vaccine...
> Soviet physicist Mikhail Neiman first proposed the idea in the 1960s, but working studies were not developed until the 21st century.
When I was at Glasgow University, researchers there had already stored data in DNA and that was in the 20th century of 1990. I don't remember the details but I do remember the dept. heads talking about the incredible density of data storage that would be possible in the near future (hah!) thanks to this technique.
Richard P. Feynman outlined pretty much the same thing in the late '50s, in his "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom".
Skinner et al, at the University of Arizona, managed retrievable data storage on DNA in 2017.
But apparently this is the first time someone's managed read/write capability within living cells.
Data repository
[1]Up your bum!
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EmWyw0KLJk
What could possibly go wrong? A. Just look around you.
Bacteria quite literally chop and [ex]change chunks of DNA all the time [1]. It's only because most mutations are deleterious that E. coli isn't like one of those super-evolving life forms from the HHGTTG. So I see two problems - (a) each instantiation of a datastore (as opposed to a functional gene) in a cell will be subject to random changes considerably more frequent than e.g. radiation-induced mutation, and (b) a segment of a cute cat video gets spliced into an actual gene, and turns out to encode for the Ravenous Bug-blatter Beast of Traal.
[1] [1]Horizontal Gene Transfer
[1] https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Microbiology/Book%3A_Microbiology_(Kaiser)/Unit_2%3A_Bacterial_Genetics_and_the_Chemical_Control_of_Bacteria/3%3A_Bacterial_Genetics/3.1%3A_Horizontal_Gene_Transfer_in_Bacteria
Re: What could possibly go wrong? A. Just look around you.
What's that? The Hitch-hikers Guide to Horizontal Gene Transfer?
Hmmm
So the idea that the vaccinations contain something sinister that can be remotely programmed via 5G electromagnetic signals is not so far-fetched after all ...
It could also form the basis for the ultimate "test and trace" application. The virii can be encoded with a full history of where they've been (encoded in blockchain format of course).
amfM will now ...
... spontaneously combust.
For how long, I wonder
" Data stored in these 'living hard drives' are stably maintained and effectively protected – over multiple cell generations – from external environments where naked DNA would otherwise be degraded "
We'd need to translate "multiple cell generations" into hours, days, months and years before I'll be convinced. I have 30 year old hard disks that still retain their contents intact, and they've lust been stored in cardboard boxes on open shelves, and I have UV erasable EPROMs from even longer ago ditto. By comparison, living cultures seem intrinsically fragile. A whole new meaning to "my storage just died"?