People who are enamored with technology often like to talk about the future of technology as it relates to our own biology, including but not limited to the integration of our bodies with gadgets and gizmos that will make our lives easier. While this is a particularly fascinating topic to think about, what if we told you that instead of applying the advantages of technology to biology, we’re doing things the other way around?
Microsoft has just made a deal with Twist Bioscience to purchase what they call “synthetic DNA.” This manufactured DNA uses the same structure of nucleotides and bases found in all biological organisms in order to store incredibly vast amounts of data, with just a gram of it being able to store up to one trillion gigabytes. In short, with the work that Twist Bioscience has just shared with Microsoft, technology is now going to be able to store all of that data not with the latest gadget from the world’s scientific minds, but with the fundamental concepts that lay in the nuclei of each of your cells.
While there’s nothing available yet to tell us how precisely Microsoft intends to use this marvel of data storage technology, the fact that they’re going to be taking a look at it in any capacity can only mean good things for those who want to see the world continue to advance. Microsoft has always been the best at not only researching exciting new technologies, but also applying them in a way that makes real strides in the way that everybody sees the world. Assuming that Microsoft makes something out of their ownership of this synthetic DNA, we may see something out of them that can really dazzle us sometime in the future.
