Data Storing Bacteria Could Last Millennia

PetManimal writes "Computerworld has a story about a new technology developed by Keio University researchers that creates artificial bacterial DNA that can carry more than 100 bits of data within the genome sequence. The researchers claimed that they encoded "e= mc2 1905!" on the common soil bacteria, Bacillius subtilis. The bacteria-based data storage method has backup and long-term archival functionality." The researchers say "While the technology would most likely first be used to track medication, it could also be used to store text and images for many millennia, thwarting the longevity issues associated with today's disk and tape storage systems ... The artificial DNA that carries the data to be preserved makes multiple copies of the DNA and inserts the original as well as identical copies into the bacterial genome sequence. The multiple copies work as backup files to counteract natural degradation of the preserved data, according to the newswire. Bacteria have particularly compact DNA, which is passed down from generation to generation. The information stored in that DNA can also be passed on for long-term preservation of large data files."

A Must

[kraemate (1065878)]

We *will* need a Beowulf cluster of these, seriously.

Re:A Must

[nmb3000 (741169)]

You mean a Biowolf cluster.

Talk about an interesting way to sneak information out of a company/country... transcribe it into the DNA of an infectious bacteria or virus, and then infect yourself with it. You walk out the door with a sniffle and 10 million dollars worth in classified secrets.

"New company policy is no isolinear chips, holocubes, or antiquated 'flash' drives on the campus. Additionally, all employees must submit to a biological cleansing and surrender their belongings for baryon sweeping before leaving the building."

At least they might cure the common cold as I side effect to preventing data theft.

Can't stop data already.

[Kadin2048 (468275)]

This definitely brings with it some possibilities, but I think that the technology is available right now to allow any determined person to sneak data past all but the most intensive biomedical screenings.

You can fit an awful lot of data in something the size of a Tylenol gel-cap, and aside from the unpleasant recovery aspect, nothing less than a X-ray is going to detect that (maybe not even an X-ray, if you were careful about the components used). Of course, your digestive system only gives you a window of opportunity measured in (at most) days; if you wanted to go longer than that, you're talking about implants. But that would get you through most transit checkpoints.

I'm not really even sure this is a new development: spies and other folks with resources have had microfiche and microdots for years. Cement one of those to your nether regions, or swallow one, and it would take a pretty determined search to turn one up. Or if you wanted, you could probably even sprinkle them over an unwitting mule's clothes, and then recover one on the opposite end.

It doesn't seem like data theft is really something that you can realistically try to stop at any border, anymore. If someone has the data in a format that they can load on their person and take to the border, it's gone. If you can get a person across, you can get data across. Certainly if you are allowed to take any type of electronics, it should be considered information-porus; there are so many ways to disguise information using steganography, that it's not practical to try and sanitize it.

Certainly by the time that biological information storage becomes widely practical, all but the most backwards nations and companies will have realized that stopping the flow of information with physical checkpoints at the border is a losing game. At best, you might be able to make it a little easier or harder, but real information security depends on limiting hostile parties' access to information in the first place, not trying to limit their transportation of it afterwards.

Re:

[bmo (77928)]

"You mean a Biowolf cluster.

Talk about an interesting way to sneak information out of a company/country... transcribe it into the DNA of an infectious bacteria or virus, and then infect yourself with it. You walk out the door with a sniffle and 10 million dollars worth in classified secrets."

Vergil I. Ulam did this in Greg Bear's "Blood Music"

It brought about the end of the world.

Read it. Really good. Trust me.

*bmo goes out to buy sunlamps*

--
BMO

Mankind

[theuedimaster (996047)]

Pretty soon we're gonna find out that human DNA was just supposed be storage for Alien pornography.

Re:A Must

[MarkRose (820682)]

Just be careful where you leave your files around. Imagine:

Friend #1: "Dude, I was hungry, so I helped myself to your yogurt."

Friend #2: "Dude, you just ate my porn collection!"

Shareware

[Harmonious Botch (921977)]

This is the ultimate distribution system for OSS. New distros are released every flu season.
It's also not a bad way to distribute movies. Let the RIAA sue a bunch of bugs for file sharing.
And windows could be distibuted on anthrax bacteria, so users would learn to be appropriately wary.

Re:

[Walt Dismal (534799)]

I, for one, salute our new DNA-encoded file-bearing bacterial overlords!

And note that I will happily download BacteriaTorrent as soon as I can be sure I only get movies and not some awful flesh-eating disease that makes me look like an RIAA executive, or maybe Jack Thompson.

Re:

[chris_eineke (634570)]

New distros are released every flu season.

That would explain AOL CDs.

Re:

[by Anonymous Coward]

As a side benefit, the software evolves on its own once released.

Of course, it evolves to benefit its host species' reproduction. I'm not exactly sure what implications that would have for a word processor.

Re:Shareware

[Shadow Wrought (586631)]

The best part is, since bacteria never evolve, their DNA will remain unchanged forever;-)

Longevity Issues

[susano_otter (123650)]

longevity issues associated with today's disk and tape storage systems .

What about the longevity issues associated with the readers?

Re:Longevity Issues

[goombah99 (560566)]

It's not enough to store the data, you also have to make the data recognizable. After all 100 years from now how do you know where to look to read the data? The biggest problem is that non-coding dna is not selectively preserved.

Re:Longevity Issues

[David_Shultz (750615)]

The biggest problem is that non-coding dna is not selectively preserved.

Actually, genetic sequences which are irrelevant to the survival of the entity (as these sequences presumably are) spread through a population and thus are preserved. It is not as rapid as if it provided a benefit, but they spread nonetheless. In a 5th year AI class I actually did experiments with evolutionary computation, looking at genetic changes which had no affect on the fitness of the individuals. The purpose of the experiments was actually to explore whether variation in a population, even if it didn't have any effect of the fitness of the individuals, was a good thing (basically) -turns out it is. But I also learned that even without selection pressure, mutations/new genetic information, spreads (actually rather quickly) through a population.

Re:

[David_Shultz (750615)]

amendment: I realize I may have misinterpreted the previous poster. They are right to worry about the preservation of code in the absence of natural selection insofar as the information will degrade via mutation. While the information will spread throughout the population, there is nothing to keep it from gradually degrading.

Re:Longevity Issues

[Ibag (101144)]

Exactly. The fact that the data is preserved by being copied every 20 minutes is entirely counteracted by the fact that reproduction is inherently error prone. Many species of bacteria regularly swap DNA to get around the fact that their reproduction is mostly asexual, but even then, mutations can and do occur. Without some mechanism to kill the bacteria when there is a mutation with the encoded data, this is a horrible long term data storage solution. There are interesting short term tracking applications, but data storage? No.

Re:So use PAR2 then

[ion_ (176174)]

On USENET binary groups you see lots of incomplete and degraded parts of data, but they're reconstructed with par2. Can't something like that be adapted to this situation as well?

Indeed. Parchive [wikipedia.org] uses Reed-Solomon error correction [wikipedia.org] to create redundant data so that if you have one block of such data, you can use it to correct any single corrupted block in the source data.

It is also used in e.g. RAID-5 and CDs (ever wondered why you can make a long scratch and it still plays correctly?)

The article only talks about multiple copies of the original data, but I wouldn't be surprised if the scientists actually use a Reed-Solomon implementation for redundancy.

Re:

[g4sy (694060)]

I can see a movie coming on: Indiana Jones and the Lost Bacteria. After a long race to figure out what the sequence means, he is forced to shoot (from an airplane) an unsuspecting Mexican maid (who he had fallen in love with) when she pulls out the AntiBacterial soap on the last remaining specimen in his hotel room.
Or something like that. I might not be the best at futuristic thrillers.

Bacteria? Are you kidding me?

[Statecraftsman (718862)]

It's hard enough keeping track of all these CD's and DVD's.

Obligatory comment

[zappepcs (820751)]

But how many Libraries of Congress will a bathroom drain hold?

Re:

[LordEd (840443)]

- What happens when you flush the buffers?
- I suppose this would give a new meaning to 'core dump'.
- 2000 flushes: The blue clean of death

Ok, that's all the programming toilet jokes I can think of. Somebody do some better ones. I can't think tonight.

Re:

[freedom_india (780002)]

I will add more for you:
- Being infected with a Virus gets a new meaning
- Virus cleaners need to be Dettol with a swab
- Worms can't infect Bacteria. In fact Bacteria can infect worms to carry messages
- The word "operating environment" takes a whole new meaning
- Google will have 1.3 million cubic feet of... "bacteria" with some dying and others being grown.
- Shipment of bacteria memories across borders will require truckers to have Biological warfare certificates and Bio-Suits...
- My USB drive can glow in th

Overwriting?

[CoolGopher (142933)]

So, has anyone tried working out if various junk DNA already holds information that we'd be overwriting with this technique?

I mean, there are plenty of theories about "seeding" of life on earth after all... maybe we already have a wealth of untapped knowledge?

(Personally, I think it's extremely unlikely, but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be prudent to check anyway)

Re:

[king-manic (409855)]

We're problably someones tape back up. When the main server goes down they'll be coming to vivisect us.

Re:

[truckaxle (883149)]

The same thought popped into my head. After spending some time following the Bible Code [wikipedia.org] story I wonder maybe they were looking in the wrong place - maybe instead of Genesis they should be in looking into prokaryotic junk DNA.

Re:

[Fred Ferrigno (122319)]

If there were encoded data, a good place to look might be the DNA rainbow [dna-rainbow.org]. It was covered on Slashdot less than a month ago [slashdot.org], complete with comparisons to the Bible code [slashdot.org].

Re:

[joggle (594025)]

You are referring to this episode [wikipedia.org]. It was effectively an arms race between the Klingong, Cardassian, Romulans and Federation to figure out this hidden code in the DNA of various humanoid species in the galaxy. They didn't know what the data was but some assumed it was instructions for building some sort of devistating weapon. It turns out to be a holograph program recording set by the 'founders' of the galaxy that had seeded each planet with dna.

organic computing

[notgm (1069012)]

stories like this one, and the story earlier today about the graphene transistor, make me wonder how far off truly organic computing is - and whether or not we'll eventually be indistinguishable from computers. or they from us.

who's to say that our bodies/brains aren't some elaborate computer design ala douglas adams' design?

Re:

[Monoliath (738369)]

I think you raise an interesting issue, had I any mod points I would have modded you up.

Nano-technology is the missing link in the current bio-tech field, in my opinion, between the ultimate symbiosis of hardware and human flesh, it will allow us to work at levels far too minute at this point, to make the proper kind of medical advances that would allow effective cohesion of man and machine.

I can't wait for it, even though I hope the day never comes...heh ;D

backup corruption?

[gr3kgr33n (824960)]

My backup chemistry thesis mutated; granting me a degree in forensic anthropology.

Re:

[king-manic (409855)]

GM is not evil in itself. It has consquences we can't forsee but over time they will be mostly understood or at least kept controllable. Mother nature is nto so much in a delicate balance as it is in a equilibrium. We can knock it off and it will simple go back to that equilibrium or find another local maxima. Thats how biological systems work. The trick is to ensure the new equilibrium is compatable with human life. And that isn't a very hard problem.

Re:

[khallow (566160)]

OTOH, if we leave nature alone, then we'll never know what we're doing. And I'm unclear on what you mean by "delicate balance". The ecosystem is neither delicate nor balanced. I guess we're fortunate that the global warming controversy has drowned out the GM food noise. So what's the problems you hint at? I gather the corn borer is getting more resistant to pesticides, but it already had a reservation at the that skating party.

so...

[mastershake_phd (1050150)]

So do you feed them instead of plug them in?

Bacteriophage

[king-manic (409855)]

But as always, a virus can still eat your data.

Obligatory bad virus joke

[trainsnpep (608418)]

Funny how a virus will still corrupt your data.

Sensitive data storage?

[BronsCon (927697)]

Can you spray them with Lysol to erase them in an emergency? (The remainder of this post assumes a YES.)

This could be great for military/government intelligence archival, or, really, any situation where the data needs to be used once and destroyed.

The longevity, coupled with ease of total erasure, would be great for digital storage of any document with personal information on it, as well. I could see using these discs to submit job/credit/lease applications, recieve bills and in any dealings with the government or IRS. They'll last for as long as needed and can be completely erased before disposal.

If they're rewritable, as well, all temporary storage related to the files on the disc could be placed on the disc as well, completely keeping that sensitive data off of any other, possibly recoverable, media. If this is the case, perhaps, once these become available, any business or govenrment entity storing personal information should be required to store it on these discs and only these discs.

---

Yes, the entirity of this post, excepting this line and the first, is entirely speculative; keep that in mind when moderating (insightful?)

Harder to erase than you might think

[mbessey (304651)]

A quick spritz of Lysol isn't going to affect the DNA of the bacteria much, if at all. Denaturing the DNA is not how antiseptics kill bacteria. I think that data stored in this fashion would actually be a lot harder to destroy than magnetic storage. After all, they can extract (fragments of) DNA from fossils.

goatse

[doubtless (267357)]

"it could also be used to store text and images for many millennia"

Imagine a Scientist from the 37th century scanning a particular bacteria's DNA sequence and hit Goatse

Wrong

[Duncan3 (10537)]

DNA that isn't functional has a high rate of change.

If it's wrong and functional it dies, and only correct copies live on. If it's just data, being wrong does nothing and just keeps degrading further. This is also how we figure out how far distant relatives or species are apart as well, the "junk" DNA will diverge at a fairly steady rate over time.

So, cute trick, but that's all.

Re:

[David_Shultz (750615)]

DNA that isn't functional has a high rate of change. If it's wrong and functional it dies, and only correct copies live on. If it's just data, being wrong does nothing and just keeps degrading further. This is also how we figure out how far distant relatives or species are apart as well, the "junk" DNA will diverge at a fairly steady rate over time. So, cute trick, but that's all.

C'mon, give it a fair chance! Let's say that the researchers surround the message in a contiguous block of text meant simpl

not as big as the 80s

[flanktwo (1041494)]

100 bits ought to be enough for anybody.

very dangerous

[by Anonymous Coward]

I haven't seen a single post by a biologist yet pointing out that if you start inserting arbitary data
into "spare" DNA then sooner or later you are going to create a lethal pathogen - purely on the basis
of probablity and statistics.

Of course you can be sure the one that wipes out all life on Earth will turn out to be an Mp3 encoding
of a Britney Spears tune.

Still need to translate the data

[Heir Of The Mess (939658)]

They are talking about storing digital data on bacteria, so how are people millenia down the track meant to decode it? Like do we store pictures as Jpeg? Do we encode text as Unicode? What I would really like to see is bacteria that I could store all my pictures onto, and to look at them all I have to do is throw some bacteria on a wet floor and wait for them to appear. For a slideshow think of a Conways Game of Life effect. You could control the speed of the slide show by controlling the temperature.

Uh oh

[AndroidCat (229562)]

Don't tell AOL about this. I, for one, do not welcome all the envelopes full of "starter" bacteria.

Old news

[gessel (310103)]

Joe Davis did this more than 17years [viewingspace.com] ago.

 

Compact DNA

[DrKyle (818035)]

Bacteria, due to their rapid rate of replication (short generation time) are very prone to selection. There would be a fitness decrease to carry around this useless DNA, especially in redundant copies. Because of this, over time the mutants which had this "data" deleted would replicate slightly more quickly and these footprints in the sand would be washed away. This is the whole reason bacteria have compact genomes, redundancy and garbage are a waste of energy to replicate every generation making them weaker than their optimized counterparts.

42

[Alchemar (720449)]

They can actually store 7 x 6 in a DNA sequence for furture generations to read? I wonder what the question would read in about 3 million years. The power of DNA is to corrupt itself slightly.

In Soviet China...

[guruevi (827432)]

...bacteria store YOU... especially if you are addicted to the Intarhweb

Panspermia

[quokkapox (847798)]

I believe you're referring to panspermia, which could have been accidental or deliberate. In the former case, life happens to make it from one habitable environment into another across interplanetary/interstellar distances. A situation analogous to accidental panspermia occurs on earth all the time, when a coconut floats from one island to another, or an insect is blown up in a storm and lands on another continent. For interplanetary cases to be feasible, life needs to be able to make it from, say Earth

First Encoding

[fyngyrz (762201)]

In other news, what was presumed to be junk DNA in the human genome has been decoded. It turns out it contains a message: "Help - I'm trapped in a creature factory."