Reimagining DNA as the Code of (More Than) Life

Advances in DNA sequencing, DNA synthesis, and molecular biology techniques have already created DNA-based information systems rivaling the capabilities of early mechanical and electronic computers.

DNA is often referred to as the code of life. That code has largely remained a biological one that is decoded in many ways, for example, into RNA transcripts, codons, and proteins. A growing body of work paints an exciting potential future where DNA could be the code not only of life, but of broader human society and civilization, capturing and processing digital information or driving molecular circuits and machines to execute useful functions beyond the confines of life as we know it.

DNA is a promising medium for digital data due to its information density, long-term stability, and energy efficiency. Its potential to store and compute information was first posited decades ago but was relegated to the sidelines in favor of the rapid growth in capabilities of electronic media (1, 2). Now, transformative leaps in capabilities are needed as storage and computational demands are outpacing traditional technologies, and DNA has the potential to meet these needs. Major challenges that face DNA-based systems include high DNA synthesis and sequence costs, long latencies in unit operations, and questions surrounding limits to the functionalities and scalability of such systems. Excitingly, recent advances in synthesis and sequencing technologies and a continually improving breadth and depth of molecular biology and biochemical techniques have driven a resurgence in research and development activity. Therefore, DNA has great potential to positively impact human society as the “code of (more than) life.”

This article reviews DNA-based information systems and discusses how these systems are analogous to electronic computers. The article also explores recent work capturing unique functionalities that have no clear analogies to our current conception of computers...