Around the world, scientists are exploring an unexpected solution to the growing data crisis: storing digital information in synthetic DNA. The idea is simple but powerful—DNA is one of the most compact, durable information systems on Earth.
But one issue has held the field back. Once data is written into DNA, it can’t be changed.
Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are helping solve that problem by transforming DNA from a one-time medium into a rewritable digital hard drive.
“DNA is incredible—it stores life’s blueprint in a tiny, stable package,” Li-Qun “Andrew” Gu, a professor of chemical and biomedical engineering at Mizzou’s College of Engineering, says.
“We wanted to see if we could store and rewrite information at the molecular level faster, simpler, and more efficiently than ever before.”
But here too, it comes down to money and power. Funding for scientific research is provided by wealthy governments and mega-corporations like FAANG and Neuralink (founded by Elon Musk). This dictates the goals for scientific research. Studies are conducted in areas where it is desired that what is possible be achieved. Currently, billions of dollars are being invested in projects such as artificial intelligence systems, robotics, and genome projects involving cell and tissue regeneration. The claim that science is independent is completely unfounded.
OpenScience is a thing, it’s been around for like 30 years
Yes, there are those who are trying to develop it independently, but they can’t achieve the desired results quickly enough due to the scoring system.There are those developing vaccines independently, and those conducting genome projects independently, but ultimately, it all comes down to funding.