Markoff, John. "Data Storage on DNA Can Keep It Safe for Centuries." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.
DNA is arguably the most important aspect of who we are. What if DNA could be used as a storage device for things other than our genes? Scientists have begun working on a way of utilizing DNA as a form of media storage device. The new research demonstrates that specific digital files can be retrieved from a potentially vast pool of data. Magnetic disks, tape and even optical storage systems safely store information at most for only a handful of decades. Researchers say the new storage technology would also be capable of keeping immense amounts of information safely for a millennium or longer. The scientists use the ability to amplify specific DNA strands rapidly and efficiently using a technique known as “polymerase chain reaction,” to make it easier to find the information they wish to retrieve. The cost and speed of encoding digital information in DNA will soon come down by several orders of magnitude, making it competitive with magnetic storage. Although it is slow in retrieval speed compared with electronic and magnetic memory, DNA will be far better in terms of the scale of the data it can store and the time scale.
This advance in data storage is very relevant because of the vast amount of data that we have accumulated in the relatively recent years. With these new advances, we need to begin looking at long term solutions to store data for long periods of time. It is also interesting because instead of creating larger forms of storage electronically, we are looking to the already existing code that is in every being in order to store important data. It is very ironic how some of the most advanced technology for storage is and has been in the DNA of living things.
The main thing this article did very well was getting information from a variety of reliable sources. With so many sources, it is very easy to get a variety of different perspectives on the idea of DNA usage. I also thought the article did a good job of making the information user friendly and easy to understand. I thought that one weakness the article had was that it didn’t talk about its usage potential in the future aside from the storage. I felt as though it could provide a few innovative ways this technology could be used for.
You did a good job connecting the technology to the greater implications in today's world. You did a good job summing up and explaining how the technology functions as a source of memory. You did a good job comparing the technology to other forms of memory. Your review would have been improved if you gave some examples of data that has been stored in the DNA using this method. Your review could also have been improved by explaining the method in which data is retrieved from the DNA. I was impressed by the scope of this new technology. Often times we find ourselves looking to nature for inspiration in new technologies, this is a prime example of that.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFord Neild December 7th, 2015
ReplyDeleteCurrent Event 10 Comment
Dear JGB,
I felt that, overall, you explained the article in very concise manner without skipping over any of the essential details, as many people often do when summarizing. First, you were able to support your claim by inserting statistics and facts from the article, something that many people struggle with in these current events. Prior to reading your summary I would have never guess that DNA could be used as a storage device and your statics helped me consider this exciting possibility. Second, you described the scientist’s viewpoint in a very interesting way that held the reader's attention. Often people do not sound passionate when arguing scientists opinions, but you did a fantastic job of that in this description. One reason you were able to do this is through the use of the quote,“In the last year, it suddenly hit us that this fusion of computer technology and biology will be where future advances come from.” It helped add a scientist's description that further captured the reader and added a new perspective. Thirdly, your descriptive vocabulary showed real depth of understanding on your part and added additional detail that helped to create a clear image of this previously confusing article.
Though, overall this article was very well written, there is room for improvement yet. Previously, I had commented that your descriptive vocabulary was intelligent and descriptive, however, for many of these words, they were too complex. To fix this, I recommend putting in parentheses the definition of the word. For example, I was not familiar with the term,polymerase chain reaction. After doing personal research I found that The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technology in molecular biology used to amplify a single copy or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence. In your relevance paragraph, you consistently mention long term solutions to store data. I was disappointed that you did not give specific examples of some other possible long term solutions to store data. If these were not mentioned in the article, I recommend doing independent research in order to fix this issue.
From your summary I learned a lot. Specifically, I was amazed that some of the most advanced technology for storage is and has been in the DNA of living things.. Personally, I am a computer programmer, so this article concerned me deeply. As previously mentioned, prior to reading this article I would have never guessed that DNA could be used as a storage device. More importantly this helped me realize a much broader truth: In daunting complexity of the tasks that humanity is undergoing, we can look to nature for answers as it too is unfathomably complex.
Markoff, John. "Data Storage on DNA Can Keep It Safe for Centuries." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehaving issues posting this link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/science/data-storage-on-dna-can-keep-it-safe-for-centuries.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=12&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
To start I would just like to say that you did a great job of presenting this article. You achieved this by taking a topic that could have easily been dragged out into a boring description and condensed it into just the crucial facts so that it became easier to digest. As a result of this the reader is not left bored and actually takes the time to form their own opinions on the topic rather than brushing over it and never considering the idea again. Secondly, you did a good job of giving your words credibility by directly sourcing the article. This makes your analysis seem more legitimate and reliable. Lastly, You did a good job of placing your own opinions and evident interest in the topic while simultaneously giving unbiased information so the reader would not be influenced and could for their own ideas. Two criticisms that I would give this article would be that one, I would have liked to have seen more description of the science in the article--I was not familiar with some of the terms and was left confused at times-- and two It would have been nice to find out where this technology could possibly lead in to future. Even some farfetched prediction would have been welcome. It's just nice to see what science achieves and to imagine what unfathomable things it could possibly accomplish. The most interesting thought that came from this article is how amazing nature truly is. For years humans have been trying to research ways to store information and they haven;t come close to the capabilities that DNA has. Nature may have had more time to figure it out but it is amazing to think how random mutation could have led to the immensely complicated system.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/science/data-storage-on-dna-can-keep-it-safe-for-centuries.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=12&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
Markoff, John. "Data Storage on DNA Can Keep It Safe for Centuries." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJohn’s article comes from an extremely different angle of looking at DNA….I never would have thought that it could be used for storage, so his topic was well-chosen. He also had a great first point in the second paragraph about how important this mechanism would be in the long-term as data today accumulates exponentially. He was also very objective in reflecting upon the quality of the article--this was just one part of his report that showed that his response was well-thought-out.
ReplyDeleteI would have liked to know how we could chemically alter the DNA so that the structure would fit its new function as a storage unit. It also would have been nice to hear him elaborate on some of the innovative ideas that he suggested should be included in the last paragraph.
I agree that it is totally ironic that one of the most powerful storage units has been inside us all along...I cannot believe that “immense amounts of information” would be kept safely for a millennium or longer?! Really neat.
John George,
ReplyDeleteOnce again, great job with your review. As always, you did a great job of summarizing your article. All the information you included was essential, as you cut right to the point. No excess information was included. Secondly, I thought you did an excellent job of supporting your review with corresponding facts and statistics. This further aided your ability to command the evidence to produce a clean and concise review. Lastly, I thought you did a good job of inserting your own opinion. Throughout the article, you came across as passionate, knowledgeable, and opinionated on DNA and its storage.
One thing I feel you could have improved on is defining terms relevant to your research. Evident from your article, you are clearly very informed on DNA and its storage, and including these definitions could help inform your reader. Another area you could have improved on is in explaining the relevance of your findings. I felt that, although your review was excellent, your relevance paragraph was somewhat underdeveloped. However, as I said earlier, you did a great job in producing a passionate and informative piece.
Not being knowledgeable about technology, I found this article particularly intriguing. I had never considered the issues that currently plague our data storage, so once you addressed that we can, currently, only safely store data for ten years, I quickly became very intrigued.
Again, great job and congratulations on another successful review.