Is DNA the future of data storage? - Leo Bear-McGuinness

譯者: Sherl H 審譯者: Helen Chang

Let's say there's a disaster that sends humanity back to the Stone Age.

假設有場災難 把人類送回石器時代

我們的知識和歷史能留存嗎

Can our knowledge and history survive?

印刷的紙張會分解

The printed page will decompose.

Hard drive storage will deteriorate.

硬碟會毀壞

Even stones will eventually crumble.

就連石頭終究也會崩解

But we might have something inside us that can outlast these physical limitations:

但是在我們體內 或許有能夠 超越這些物理限制的東西

deoxyribonucleic acid.

「去氧核醣核酸」

DNA already stores our biological information.

DNA 已經儲存著我們的生物訊息

From eye color to skin tone, it programs our entire bodies.

從眼睛的顏色到膚色 它替我們的全身編碼

DNA is made of four organic bases:

DNA 由四種有機鹼基組成

adenine,

腺嘌呤

guanine,

鳥嘌呤

cytosine,

胞嘧啶

and thymine,

和胸腺嘧啶

or A, G, C, and T.

簡稱為 A、G、C 和 T

The specific sequence of these bases into groups of three, known as codons,

這些鹼基以三個為一組 形成特定的序列 稱為「遺傳密碼」

gives our cells instructions to make each of the proteins in our bodies.

給予我們的細胞指示 來製造體內的各種蛋白質

But this code can be used for other things, too,

但這種密碼也能用在其他事上

like secret messages.

像是機密訊息

In 1999, scientists in New York created an alphabet

1999 年 紐約的科學家 創造了一種字母系統

in which each of the 64 possible DNA codons

DNA 遺傳密碼可能的 64 種組合

substituted for a specific letter, number, or grammar symbol.

分別代表一個特定的字母 數字 或語法符號

他們將一段有 22 個字元的訊息 剪接進一段長條單股 DNA

They spliced a 22-character message into a long strand of DNA

and surrounded it with specific genetic markers.

並以特定基因標誌圍繞

They then hid the DNA over a period in a type-written letter

接下來一段時間中 他們將這段 DNA 藏在一封打字信件裡

with only a small smudge to give the location away.

只用一個小污點指明藏匿位置

They mailed the letter back to themselves.

他們將信件寄回給自己

Then they examined the letter looking for the DNA strand.

然後檢查信件 尋找那段 DNA

Once the DNA strand was located, they found the genetic markers.

一旦定位出那段 DNA 他們就找到了基因標誌

Then, they sequenced the DNA and successfully decoded the message.

接著他們將 DNA 定序 並成功破解訊息

It soon became obvious that DNA cryptography

這便顯明了 DNA 密碼學

could code for much more than simple text.

可以編譯的內容 遠超過單純的文字

By translating the 1's and 0's of binary code into DNA codons,

藉由將二進制編碼的 1 和 0 翻譯成 DNA 遺傳密碼

digital data could be programmed into synthetic DNA,

數位資訊可以被編進 人工合成的 DNA 中

then decoded back into its original form.

再解密回原本的形式

In 2012, UK scientists encoded 739 kilobytes of computer files

2012 年 英國科學家 將 739 KB 的電腦檔案

into DNA strands,

編碼放入 DNA 中

including all 154 Shakespeare sonnets

包含莎士比亞 全部共 154 首的十四行詩

and an excerpt from Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

還有馬丁‧路得的演說 「我有一個夢」的摘要

And four years later, researchers at Microsoft and the University of Washington

四年後 華盛頓大學和微軟的研究者

broke that record.

破了這個紀錄

他們用二進位編碼捕捉了 高達 200 MB 的資料

They used binary coding to capture a whopping 200 megabytes of data,

including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

包括世界人權宣言

and a high-def OK Go music video,

和一部 OK Go 樂團的高清音樂影片

all in strings of DNA.

全都在 DNA 中

As far as storage capacity goes,

就儲存容量而言

DNA stands out because of the surprising amount of information it can hold

DNA 特別突出 因為它能將驚人的資訊量

儲存在如此小的空間裡

in so little space.

The current theoretical limit of DNA'S storage capacity is so high

目前理論推測的 DNA 儲存空間限制

that you could fit 100 million HD movies on a pencil eraser.

高到你可以把十億部高清電影 存在鉛筆橡皮擦大小的空間裡

It's even conceivable that one day we could fit all of the information

甚至可以想見的是 有一天我們可以將網路上

currently on the Internet

現有的全部資訊

into the space of a shoe box.

裝進一個鞋盒的空間裡

Also, computers and the magnetic tape and discs that their information is stored on

電腦和為它們儲存資訊的磁帶及光碟

only last for a few decades, at most, before degrading and becoming unreliable.

在退化並變得不可靠之前 最多也只能支撐幾十年

而 DNA 有著 500 年的半衰期

Meanwhile, DNA has a half-life of 500 years,

meaning that's how long it takes for half of its bonds to break.

這意思是 那是它半數鍵結斷裂所需的時間

And if left in a cold and dark environment,

而且若是被留在一個陰冷的環境

DNA could potentially last for hundreds of thousands of years.

DNA 可能可以持續存在數十萬年

And if that isn't long enough,

如果這還不夠久

scientists experimented with having synthetic DNA auto-reproduce.

科學家進行了 讓合成 DNA 自動複製的實驗

After creating their own strands of DNA

做出了他們自己的

that spelled out the lyrics to the children's song "It's a Small World,"

拼寫兒歌「小小世界」歌詞的 DNA 後

they placed them into the genome of a microbe nicknamed Conan the Bacterium.

科學家將這些 DNA 放進 暱稱「柯南細菌」的微生物基因體中

Conan belongs to a species which can survive in a vacuum,

柯南所屬的物種可以在真空中

or without water, for six years,

或無水處存活六年

or come out unscathed after being exposed to a dose of radiation

或者暴露在 1000 倍 人類致死劑量的輻射下

1,000 times that which would kill a human.

結果卻毫髮無傷

According to the experiment,

根據這個實驗

the bacterium was able to reproduce at least 100 generations without data loss.

這種細菌能夠複製至少 100 代 都不會丟失資料

Theoretically, if the organism had redundant copies of the information

理論上如果生物體 帶有多餘的資料副本

that could be used to automatically correct mistakes,

可以用來自動校正錯誤

the information could stay preserved even longer.

那麼這些資料甚至可以被保存更久

So one day, you might be able to create a living, growing, knowledge archive

所以有一天 你或許可以創造出 活生生 會成長的知識檔案

in your own backyard,

在你家後院

and its seeds might carry your family's history,

而它的種子可能攜帶著你的家族史

a detailed breakdown of the world's political upheavals,

一份詳盡的世界政治劇變事件明細

or the sum of humanity's knowledge into forests and across continents.

或是人類探入森林和橫越大陸 所得的知識總和

Perhaps even into the far reaches of space.

或許甚至深入遙遠的太空

Though we might one day disappear, perhaps our legacy can still live on,

雖然有一天我們可能會消失 但或許我們的遺產能繼續活著

if anyone would think to find it.

假如有人想到要找出它的話