A group carrying research at Keio University, Japan has announced the development of a new technology which enables the use of bacterial DNA as a source for data preservation.

This new technology is being developed by creating an artificial DNA that carries the data. Multiple copies of the information are programmed into the DNA, which is then inserted into the bacterial genome sequence. The duplicate copies serve as backup against natural degradation.

The scientists said they successfully encoded the “E= mc2″ Einstein’s famous theory the date of discovery-on the common soil bacteria, Bacillus subtilis.
Results from the findings were recently published in the electronic edition Biotechnology Progress.

The significance of this development is the encoded DNA of bacteria would be passed down from generation to generation, making it a possible long-term medium. Today’s storage mediums are estimated to retain their integrity for up to a century, but scientists estimate that that data stored in bacteria could last for thousands of years.