DNA gets competition as preferred molecular data storage medium

Storing data other than genetic code in DNA is a well-researched subject. A thimble of the stuff could contain the entire Youtube archive and thanks to the wonders of microbiology, all the tools to synthesize and read out the biopolymer are readily available. Add to that the relatively robust nature of DNA, and it’s clear why encoding data with nature’s genetic building blocks is thought to be particularly useful for archival storage, ie for storing data long-term that doesn’t need accessing often.

In principle, synthetic polymers could do even better. Possible advantages include simpler synthesis, higher storage density and better stability. Their downside is the read-out: there are no off-the-shelf sequencing tools available. The only decoding method that has proven fast and trustworthy so far has been mass spectrometry (MS), a widely used analytical technique that can be used to measure the weight of a molecule (technically: the mass-to-charge ratio of the ionized molecule).