Typically, a news story based on scientists making something from Jurassic Park into reality is a terrible omen. Thankfully, today's breakthrough does not have to do with reviving dinosaurs... yet. Scientists have created a new mode of DNA storage and preservation using an amber-like polymer, for high scalability, ease of storing and removing DNA, and lossless DNA extraction.
James Banal and Jeremiah Johnson of MIT and a team of other MIT researchers published their findings in a study on Thursday. DNA is quickly becoming the storage method of the future; incredibly stable and incredibly dense, DNA can last orders of magnitude longer than flash or disk storage and could store all the world's data in a coffee mug. While DNA is classically used to store the genetic information of living things, it can be "programmed" to store more traditional data and information.
