Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Hong Kong researchers store data in bacteria
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Top Stories
Most Popular
Photos
Full Coverage
Sitemap
Hong Kong researchers store data in bacteria
AFP - Sunday, January 9
Send
IM Story
Print
Hong Kong researchers store data in bacteria
HONG KONG (AFP) - – A group of students at Hong Kong's Chinese University are making strides towards storing such vast amounts of information in an unexpected home: the E.coli bacterium better known as a potential source of serious food poisoning.
"This means you will be able to keep large datasets for the long term in a box of bacteria in the refrigerator," said Aldrin Yim, a student instructor on the university's biostorage project, a 2010 gold medallist in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)'s prestigious iGEM competition.
Biostorage -- the art of storing and encrypting information in living organisms -- is a young field, having existed for about a decade.
In 2007, a team at Japan's Keio University said they had successfully encoded the equation that represents Einstein's theory of relativity, E=MC2, in the DNA of a common soil bacterium.
They pointed out that because bacteria constantly reproduce, a group of the single-celled organisms could store a piece of information for thousands of years.
But the Hong Kong researchers have leapt beyond this early step, developing methods to store more complex data and starting to overcome practical problems which have lent weight to sceptics who see the method as science fiction.
The group has developed a method of compressing data, splitting it into chunks and distributing it between different bacterial cells, which helps to overcome limits on storage capacity. They are also able to "map" the DNA so information can be easily located.
This opens up the way to storing not only text, but images, music, and even video within cells.
As a storage method it is extremely compact -- because each cell is minuscule, the group says that one gram of bacteria could store the same amount of information as 450 2,000 gigabyte hard disks.
They have also developed a three-tier security fence to encode the data, which may come as welcome news to US diplomats who have seen their thoughts splashed over the Internet thanks to WikiLeaks.
"Bacteria can't be hacked," points out Allen Yu, another student instructor.
"All kinds of computers are vulnerable to electrical failures or data theft. But bacteria are immune from cyber attacks. You can safeguard the information."
The team have even coined a word for this field -- biocryptography -- and the encoding mechanism contains built-in checks to ensure that mutations in some bacterial cells do not corrupt the data as a whole.
Professor Chan Ting Fung, who supervised the student team, told AFP that practical work in the field -- fostered by MIT, who have helped develop standards enabling researchers to collaborate -- was in its early stages.
But he said: "What the students did was to try it out and make sure some of the fundamental principles are actually achievable."
The Hong Kong group's work may have a more immediate application.
The techniques they use -- removing DNA from bacterial cells, manipulating them using enzymes and returning them to a new cell -- are similar to those used to create genetically modified foods.
But rather than changing the building blocks of an organism, the Hong Kong group allows extra information to piggyback on the DNA of the cell, after checking their changes against a master database to make sure they do not have accidental toxic effects.
Their work could enable extra information to be added to a genetically modified crop in the form of a "bio barcode", Chan said.
"For example, a company that makes a GM tomato that grows extra large with a gene that promotes growth -- on top of that we can actually encode additional information like safety protocols, things that are not directly related to the biological system."
Other types of information, like copyright and design history, could help to monitor the spread of GM crops, he said.
"It's kind of a safety net for synthetic organisms," said Wong Kit Ying, from the student team.
Beyond this, Chan and the students are evangelical about the future possibilities of synthetic biology.
"The field is getting popular because of the energy crisis, environmental pollution, climate change. They are thinking that a biological system will be a future solution to those -- as alternative energy sources, as a remedy for pollution. For these, micro-organisms are the obvious choice," Chan said.
One type of bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans, can even survive nuclear radiation.
"Bacteria are everywhere: they can survive on things that are unthinkable to humans. So we can make use of this," Chan said.
So is it possible that a home computer could one day consist of a dish filled with micro-organisms?
The group dismisses concerns that this could be dangerous, pointing out that despite E.coli's poor reputation, they use an altered form that cannot exist outside a rich synthetic medium.
In fact, says Chan, while safety rules are strict, more measures are taken to protect the bacteria from contamination than to protect the researchers from the bacteria.
However, Yim admitted that while the group's work is a "foundational advance", a petri dish PC is not likely to be on the market in the coming years, not least because the method of retrieving the data requires experts in a laboratory.
"It's possible," he said, "but there's a long way to go."
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
News Search
Top Stories
NY subway riders shed trousers, skirts, modesty
Virgin withholds Heathrow fees over snow chaos
Germany denies plan to press Portugal to seek bailout
Beckhams expecting fourth child
Victoria and David Beckham expecting fourth child
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Falling blackbirds baffle Arkansas officials
Hasta la Vista: Arnie quits as California governor
Goldman deal 'values Facebook at $50 billion'
Spain lotto winner nearly loses millions by tossing tickets
Brazil's 2010 trade surplus lowest in 8 years: official
More Most Viewed »
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo!
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Entertainment
Photos
Yahoo! News Network
Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Monday, 10 January 2011 At least 70 killed in Iranian passenger plane crash
|
France: Sahel no longer safe after al Qaeda attack
|
Tunisian government says 14 killed in clashes
|
Tens of thousands rally against changes in blasphemy law
|
Analysis: TV makers fumble towards the future: smarter TVs
|
True Grit wrangles top spot at box offices
|
Beckhams expecting fourth child in summer
|
NY subway riders shed trousers, skirts, modesty
Virgin withholds Heathrow fees over snow chaos
Millions vote in south Sudan independence poll
|
Germany denies plan to press Portugal to seek bailout
Iranian crash toll rises to 77 killed: report
|
Beckhams expecting fourth child
Young French hostages executed in Niger desert
Victoria and David Beckham expecting fourth child
Home appliances get 'smart' at CES
Hong Kong researchers store data in bacteria
Lebanon's Hariri urges more U.N. pressure on Israel
|
France warns of Sahel threat after hostages killed
CES triumphs bode well for Motorola Mobility rebirth
Hangover sets in on Spanish debt markets
Suspect in Arizona shootings to appear in court
Germany vows action after dioxin scare
China defense chief says military hardware drive no threat
|
Britain parries threat to Queen's head on stamps
S.Sudan leader wants 'coexistence' with north
Shooting suspect's nihilism rose with isolation
Flash floods hit Australia's third biggest city
|
Britain defends disputed EU referendum plans
Automaker Saab replaces key US executive
Sarkozy takes G20 case to Obama as food prices soar
|
Authorities charge man, 22, with assassination try
Magnitude 5.9 quake hits Chile, no damage reported
|
Factbox
Minimum and maximum temperatures in Celsius
Kosovo PM's party wins vote rerun, but margin cut
|
Tunisian government says 14 killed in clashes
|
Bitter politics of Arizona loom over shooting
Giffords: Dem who wins in conservative district
S. Korea cool to N. Korea dialogue offer
2010 Chinese box office surges to $1.5 billion
Factbox
S. Korean hackers trade cyber blows with N. Korea
Iran police confirm US woman 'spy' arrested
UltraViolet lights way to lifetime movie watching rights
Australian gunned down in Cambodia
Fiery package addressed to Homeland Security chief
Gates urges firmer military ties with China
Hong Kong fortune teller seeks tycoon's estate
Seoul shares end lower; banks, tech plays fall
Beijing's 'mice' seek shelter from high costs
Nintendo promises sufficient 3DS supply: report
Thaksin addresses red shirt rally in Bangkok
Youthful Vienna Ballet continues revival
UPDATE 1-KDB in talks to buy Southeast Asian bank
Indian religious guru admits sleeping with more than 20 women
'True Grit' shoots its way to box office lead
Disney and Yahoo in internet TV content talks: report
|
Flash floods hit Australia's third biggest city
UltraViolet lights way to lifetime movie watching rights
China's Shaolin Temple builds business empire
S.Korea KOGAS says Dec LNG imports up 12 pct
Peter Andre named UK's 'hardest-working' singer
Gates in China to shore up uneasy military ties
Banks, techs send Seoul shares lower
Waitress was on phone to doctor of dying Jackson
S&PBulletin: raating on three Korean Automakers unaffected
Nissan confident in Renault's handling of spy ring
China December trade surplus shrinks to $13.1 bn
Taiwan sells 20-year bonds at 2.136 pct yield
True Grit wrangles top spot at box offices
|
Baz Luhrmann might shoot Great Gatsby in 3D
|
Salma Hayek, ABC developing a Wicked miniseries
|
What True Grit has in common with The Blind Side
|
US-TECH Summary
Cape star James Frain reveals show's secrets
|
Balls, blocks, cars among high-tech toys at CES
Beckhams expecting fourth child in summer
|
Tablets, smart gadgets rule at Consumer Electronics Show
Nintendo to ship 1.5 million 3DS in Japan by end-March: report
Facebook denies shutdown rumors
Google's Android stars at electronics show
Car tech dazzles at Consumer Electronics Show
Home appliances get 'smart' at CES
Analysis: TV makers fumble towards the future: smarter TVs
Cyber sex on offer as adult industry adapts
Clinton says sanctions are slowing Iran atom work
ETA declares permanent ceasefire
Blackberry maker says will filter porn to meet Indonesia rules
Apple shuns CES but accessories a hit
Disney and Yahoo in internet TV content talks: report
Iran Air crash toll rises to 77
S.Korea battles bird flu, foot-and-mouth
Spanish government rejects ETA ceasefire move
|
Three Afghan police killed by Taliban car bomb
Pakistan assassin says he acted alone
Netanyahu defends settlement after U.S. criticism
|
Iran says it has arrested spy ring linked to Israel
Clinton says sanctions are slowing Iran atom work
|
Iran rights lawyer 'jailed for 11 years'
Iran human rights activist jailed for 11 years
|
S. Korea rejects N. Korea's call for talks
Probe after Iran Air crash kills 77
Police fire into air at Tunisia clash: witnesses
|
Sudan border clashes kill 36 as south votes-officials
Chili crisis tests Indonesians love for spicy food
North Korea offers talks but South repeats dialogue conditions
|
UN chief backs Lebanon tribunal on Hariri
FEATURE: 'Kids are a gift from God,' says dad of 13
Indonesia's jailed graft suspect says he can help catch 'big fish'
US troops wage war with cash in Afghanistan
2010 Chinese box office surges to $1.5 billion
Asia witnesses soccer power shift
Lebanon's Hariri urges more U.N. pressure on Israel
Hindu "terror" vs corruption splits India's politics
Bangladesh clashes as stocks dive 9.25%
Governor's murder deepens fears of Pakistani Christians
Pakistani stocks end lower; rupee weakens; o/n rates flat
Taiwan's TSMC sales rise more than 40% in 2010
Serbia's Sandzak languishes amid bitter Muslim divide
Supreme Court won't review music download antitrust case
|
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
China follows capsule hotel trend amid travel boom
Winter weather slams South with snow, icy roads
Baz Luhrmann might shoot "Great Gatsby" in 3D
China's 2010 auto sales top 18 mn units
Ex DC school chief takes reform message nationwide
Salma Hayek, ABC developing a "Wicked" miniseries
Blackberry maker says will filter porn to meet Indonesia rules
|
What "True Grit" has in common with "The Blind Side"
Indonesia's Matahari says not selling hypermarkets
"Cape" star James Frain reveals show's secrets
Police baton-charge Dhaka share protesters
Analysis: TV makers fumble towards the future
|
Indonesia president's tough talk on forests
Insurance fraud rings find fertile ground in Canada
South Sudan eyes basketball as new national pride
Saudi abuser of Indonesian maid jailed: report
Bond girl, new Spider-Man among BAFTA nominees
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights