Why Scientists Recorded a Panda’s Image into DNA

Scientists actually "recorded" a picture of a panda directly into DNA molecules, and then copied it back to a computer. And they did this not with the help of complex and expensive equipment, but with the use of methylation - a process where tiny chemical marks are placed on DNA.

It sounds incomprehensible, but in fact, when this technology becomes widespread, it will significantly reduce the cost of personalized treatment.

Why does a person need this?

Traditional treatment is not suitable for everyone, because each of us has unique genetics and reacts to drugs in our own way. We want to solve this problem, and are now developing in the field of personalized medicine.

But before choosing a treatment "tailored" for each person, you first need to determine where to store: the genome (this is all your unique genetic information), epigenetic markers, test history and even data on how the body reacted to different drugs.

So the issue of data storage is really important now, and DNA can be the solution for people who cannot be cured by traditional methods.

And what about cloud services?

DNA storage may become a real alternative to cloud services. It does not need the Internet, and its volume is several times larger than that of servers. And most importantly, unlike hard drives, which can break, DNA can store information for 500 years.

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