DNA cassettes resemble music cassette tapes
Jiankai Li et al. 2025
With a modern twist, the nostalgic cassette tape may be resurging in the form of DNA. Previously used solely as a medium for information storage, researchers have now fused the concept with the style of 1980s cassette tapes, leading to the innovation termed DNA cassettes.
Xingyu Jiang and his colleagues at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Guangdong, China, crafted these cassettes by printing synthetic DNA molecules onto plastic tapes. “The sequences can be designed in such a manner that the order of DNA bases (A, T, C, G) conveys digital information just like binary code (0 or 1) in a computer,” he remarks. This allows for the storage of all forms of digital files, from text and images to audio and video.
A significant challenge of earlier DNA storage methods was accessing the data. To remedy this, the team implemented a series of barcodes on the tape to simplify searching. “It’s akin to locating a book in a library,” explains Jiang. “You first identify the shelf corresponding to the book and then locate the specific book on that shelf.”
The tape is also treated with a protective coating dubbed “crystal armor,” made from zeolite imidazolate, which ensures the integrity of the DNA. This allows the cassettes to retain data for centuries without degradation.
While classic cassette tapes can hold around 12 songs per side, the new 100-meter DNA cassette can house over 3 billion pieces of music comprising 10 megabytes of songs. This results in an astounding total data storage capacity of 36 petabytes, comparable to a 36,000 terabyte hard drive.
However, Jiankai Li warns that if one were to place the new tape into an old-school Walkman, it wouldn’t produce sound. “Our tapes contain DNA molecules,” he notes. “It’s similar to trying to play a photograph on a record player—the formats simply don’t align.”
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Source: www.newscientist.com
