technology
DNA data storage
Encoding digital data in synthesised polynucleotides for archival storage, where the engineering problem is cheap writing and addressed retrieval rather than density; whole-pool amplification with in-sequencer random access merges access and read into one step.
Where it's used
Biocomputing and DNA computing
Computation and storage carried out in molecules and living tissue rather than silicon — DNA archives with in-sequencer random access, error-correction codecs tolerating error rates near 14% and sequence loss up to 65%, genetic circuits implementing half and full adders, and biohybrid systems that compute with slime mould and fungal networks.
Genomics & DNA design
Writing genomes rather than just reading them — DNA synthesis at scale, de novo synthetic chromosomes and DNA-based digital data storage, complementing the sequencing/analysis side of genomics.