Optical Protein Data Storage Michael Dye Cameron Marshall Blayne Sharpe

How It Started Dr. Venkatesan Renugopalakrishnan Harvard Medical School Developer of protein layer that stores data More than 28 years of protein research Professor R. reconfigured parts of protein’s DNA and created binary system to store data

The bR Protein Known as bacteriorhodopsin (bR) Found in salty marshes Light-sensitive protein that captures sunlight to produce chemical energy Process lasts from four hours to several days Goal was to make it last for more than several years

How It Works After being hit with light, the proteins produce pigment molecules that can be later read with lasers or optical microscopes. The fluorescent protein storage is incorporated into data storage through putting a thin layer of the protein on to medial like a DVD or CD. Research shows that data can be inherited by new generations. Living, breathing storage device

Effects on Current Technology Standard hard drives = 80 Gb Blue-Ray = 50 Gb HD-DVD = 30 Gb Protein based DVD = 50 Tb Writes and reads data at a much higher speed than any other medium Picoseconds vs. Nanoseconds

Pros and Cons Pros Storage Capability Faster Upload and Download Very Durable Storage Medium Cons Easy for Information to Fall Into Wrong Hands Costly Protein Storage Process

Effects from a Business Perspective Faster communications and downloading capabilities Decrease Storage Space Decrease in Cost of Storage More Computing Power

Effects From a Government and Military Perspective Provides more security Closed Circuit Network Decrease Storage Space Software/Hardware More Reliable/Durable

Conclusion Common place in 5 to 8 years Replace Magnetic Storage Systems (hard drives, DVD, CD, etc.) Security will be tightened because of compressed data Will need extra safeguards Portability/Mobility