DNA Data

Seems Harvard has encoded data — a lot of data — in a DNA strand.

I’m not sure what I think of this. Is it WAY cool technology? You bet. However, the thought that a life-force molecule like DNA can be used to store 700 terabytes in one drop? Hmmm… WHAT data will now get stored? WHO controls the storage? HOW can data stored be expunged? WHEN will the data deteriorate or be eliminated? WHERE will the technology lead us? WHY do we do this to ourselves?

Sometimes, technology advances at such a fast pace that we plunge ahead without considering the ramifications. This particular technology has ramifications that boggle the mind; data storage is only a drop in the bucket. To paraphrase Michael Crichton, who said it best in Jurassic Park: “Sometimes we did it because we could without stopping to think about whether we should.”

Maybe this is one of those times.