Vijay Pande and Steph Smith discuss using DNA as data storage, comparing it to Moore's Law. They explore DNA's capacity, longevity, and potential for the future of biotech. The podcast covers advancements in DNA storage, challenges in DNA synthesis, and the efficiency of using DNA for data storage.
DNA offers efficient data storage with immense capacity and longevity.
Challenges in DNA synthesis hinder breakthroughs in synthetic biology and data storage solutions.
Deep dives
The Potential of DNA as Data Storage
DNA has the potential to revolutionize data storage due to its remarkable efficiency and longevity. A gram of DNA can store over 200 million gigabytes, with the human body capable of storing vast amounts of data. Leveraging DNA for data storage offers a solution to the increasing demand for storage as traditional methods may run out soon.
Challenges in DNA Synthesis for Biological Computing
While DNA sequencing has seen exponential advancements, DNA synthesis, or writing DNA, faces challenges. Reading DNA is simpler due to technological advancements like shotgun sequencing, but writing DNA is more complex. The speed and cost of writing DNA bottleneck breakthroughs in synthetic biology, impacting areas like vaccine development and data storage.
DNA as a Foundation for Engineering Biology
Advances in DNA synthesis can unlock large-scale engineering of biology, shifting from experimental tweaking to systematic building. Low-cost DNA synthesis enables quick iterations in synthetic biology, akin to the efficiency of programming iterations. This shift towards engineering biology can lead to exponential advancements across various sectors like materials, food, and health.
Vijay Pande, founding partner of a16z Bio + Health, dives deep with a16z Podcast host Steph Smith into the potential of DNA as a data storage mechanism.
This episode, a cross-post with the a16z Podcast, draws parallels between Moore's Law and the race for "Moore's Law for DNA." Vijay discusses the density, longevity, and ubiquity of DNA, and how this could be leveraged into a data storage solution. Vijay and Steph mix technical advancements with futuristic speculation as they talk about what the future of biotech might look like.
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