In June 2007, Gary M. Skinner and colleagues from The University of Arizona created anew field of science by demonstrating a machine to store digital data on DNA. For the next one decade, scientists from various parts of the world worked to overcome the shortcomings of the proposed machine and method. Finally in March 2017, Yaniv Erlich and Dina Zielinski of Columbia University published anadvanced method known as DNA Fountain which stored the data with density of 215 petabytes per gram of DNA. This method is not ready for large-scale use, as it costs $7000 to synthesize 2 MB of data and another $2000 to read it.[1][2][3]
Is storing data on DNA a new invention? Is Gary M. Skinner really the first person to store data on DNA? No. DNA has been storing data or information from the beginning of its creation, which is not yet traced by modern science. DNA stores genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses. [4]
Most scientific theories about the origin of DNA say that it was formed from organic molecules, which landed on earth from interstellar clouds. This brings up the question, where did these interstellar clouds, containing organic chemicals, come from? Were they formed by chance? Srimad Bhagavatam informs that these clouds made of gas, plasma and solid elements were formed during the process of transformation of matter from space to gas to plasma to liquid to solid state under the supervision of Lord Vishnu. Thus the formation of original DNA was not a matter of chance but a part of a creation supervised by Lord Vishnu.
With all advance technologies and intelligence, the top scientists from across the globe took a decade to imitate the original DNA i.e. demonstrate the storage of few megabytes of data on DNA, at expense of thousands of dollars. And we are giving much credit to scientists. But on the other hand we see that with the birth of every new living entity unlimited DNA is produced without any expense. Not only the unlimited DNA is produced but it causes the body to grow, function, repair, defend, and reproduce. So we should attempt to identify and give credit to a person who has set up such an advanced phenomenonand not to a man who has just reinvented the wheel.
[1]http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asp/jobn/2007/00000001/00000001/art00004
[2]https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444233104577593291643488120?mod=djemalertNEWS
[3] http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/03/dna-could-store-all-worlds-data-one-room
