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SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY

One-step data storage in cellular DNA

The cumbersome encoding of digital data to cellular DNA hinders the use of cells as living hard drives. A new approach transfers digital information directly into cellular DNA by converting electrical signals into stable and interpretable changes in the genomes of bacterial populations.

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Fig. 1: DRIVES for direct digital-to-biological data storage.

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Correspondence to Seth L. Shipman.

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Bhattarai-Kline, S., Lear, S.K. & Shipman, S.L. One-step data storage in cellular DNA. Nat Chem Biol 17, 232–233 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-021-00737-2

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