The DNA of things

DNA storage offers substantial information density and exceptional half-life3. We devised a 'DNA of Things' (DoT) storage architecture to produce materials with immutable memory. The DoT framework records the data directly onto DNA that are encapsulates in nanometer silica beads, and then fused to various material that can create objects in any shape. First, we used DoT to create a 3D-printed Stanford Bunny, which carries DNA that encoded a 45Kbyte file of its 3D-printing instructions. We used this self-replicating property to create multiple generations of the same object, where each new generation obtains its DNA memory from the previous generation. We also created an ordinary looking glasses that conceal a 1.4Mbyte video encoded using DNA and perfectly retrieved it with iSeq sequencing. DoT could be applied to store electronic health records in medical implants, to hide data in everyday objects (steganography), and to manufacture objects containing their own blueprint. It may also facilitate the development of self-replicating machines.