Science Turns to God’s Design for Data Storage

Daniel 12:4
“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

Do you remember when home computers used floppy disks? Magnetic floppies were replaced by optical discs, using laser technology, and now we depend on hard drives, flash drives and cloud drives for the storage and retrieval of digital data. But someday even our most advanced data-storage systems will give way to the latest and greatest advances in technology.

The early days of home computer data storage featured floppy disks like these Well, that day may soon be upon us. Researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington have developed a system that stores digital data using synthetic DNA. They report that it can store information millions of times more compactly than current archival technologies. In fact, they claim it can “shrink the space needed to store digital data that today would fill a Walmart supercenter down to the size of a sugar cube.”

According to Luis Ceze, University of Washington associate professor of computer science and engineering, “Life has produced this fantastic molecule called DNA that efficiently stores all kinds of information about your genes and how a living system works. It’s very, very compact and very durable. We’re essentially repurposing it to store digital data – pictures, videos, documents – in a manageable way for hundreds or thousands of years.”

Once again we see scientists refusing to give credit where credit is due. DNA, the most efficient data storage system ever, was not produced by “life”, whatever that may mean. DNA was designed by our life-giving Creator – Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Oh Lord, though the rapid advances in technology are impressive, nothing even begins to compare to what You designed during the six days of creation! Amen.

Author: Steven J. Schwartz
Ref: University of Washington, “Scientists store digital images in DNA, and retrieves them perfectly,” ScienceDaily, 4/7/16. Photo: The early days of home computer data storage featured floppy disks like these. Courtesy of George Chernilevsky. (PD)