Speculative Fact #311: DNA Computing

Our DNA contains a complex code of information made up of four chemical nucleotides (ATCG). This code of life contains the genetic information determining things like what color your eyes are, but the chemicals can be arranged in other combinations to code information.
            A team at the University of Washington in Seattle is using the same chemicals in our genes (denine, thymine, cytosine and guanine) to create codes similar to the 1s and 0s of a computer’s binary program. Using organic chemicals instead of silicon would allow us to store more information in a smaller amount of space. Also, information stored chemically would be less volatile than magnetic hard drives.
Data storage and retrieval will become even more relevant in the future than it is today.
       Your story might be a small scale and intimate exploration of how personal information can be. Data storage using DNA might provide a level of security and privacy to someone who prefers to live a very discrete lifestyle. Or perhaps your character is a cyberpunk digital thief with the perfect place to stash the pilfered information after the ultimate data heist.

-Jonathan Hernandez

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