Scientists at Harvard University have edited bacteria using the CRISPR genome editing tool to store data , which can also then be passed down to the next generation . When compared to storage on a computer hard drive , the equivalent of just 30 to 100 bytes of data was stored . However , this was a significant improvement on a previous system , based on a different technique was able to store the equivalent of 11 bits . The scientists say the development could be a basis for a system that could monitor molecular events such as a cell changing from a healthy to disease state or to record an external environmental presence such as a chemical or toxin .
Scientists at Harvard University have edited bacteria using the CRISPR gene editing tool to store data, which can also then be passed down to the next generation. When compared to storage on a computer hard drive, the equivalent of just 30 to 100 bytes of data was stored. However, this was a marked improvement on a previous system, based on a different technique was able to store the equivalent of 11 bits. The researchers say the development could be a basis for a system that could monitor molecular events such as a cell changing from a healthy to disease state or to record an external environmental presence such as a chemical or toxin.