Hacker News Reader

DNA "storage" is great for parallel interrogation I've read, but for actual "storage" storage proteins are far longer lasting. With fossilized proteins having been recovered after over half a billion years. There's some loss in fidelity as the protein side chains undergo some chemical processes, but these processes are known and can be compensated for.

View on HN

DNA has been extracted from Neanderthal bones more than 50.000 years old. DNA is very durable, for all practical purposes. I've heard some DNA synthesis vendors like Twist Biosciences will offer it commercially next year.

Storage conditions really matter for DNA longevity, and a lot of the older DNA that can be extracted and sequenced is both fragmented and damaged in areas. I've had closed-circular plasmids fragment completely after being stored in water at 4C for about a year or so.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com