Will All Human DNA Sequences Fit in a Small Data Storage System? Elon Musk Shares the Possibility

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has once again weighed in on an issue beyond his expertise, contending that one could "fit the DNA sequences of all humans alive today" in a small data storage system.

This system, a Futurism report specified, is a vaguely frightening thought that comes from the wealthiest man in the world, as if he didn't have fires already, to put out and problems to solve.

In the early 2000s, the Human Genome Project scientists announced a breakthrough. They said that they specifically sequenced a complete human reference genome which includes all three billion DNA letters, a scientific project likened compared to landing astronauts on the Moon.

Whereas the reference genome has come under doubt as of late, with scientists adding two million variants more, it still does not take much space to store the whole sequence on a traditional computer.

The Human Genome Project

A report from the National Human Genome Research Institute describes the Human Genome Project or HGP as an international, collaborative research program whose objective was the total mapping and understanding of all genes of humans. Essentially, all human genes together are known as the "genome."

The main objectives of the HGP were initially articulated in the late 1980s by a special committee of the United States National Academy of Sciences and later adopted through a detailed series of five-year plans written jointly by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy.

Congress financially funded the NIH and the Department of Energy to launch a further exploration of the concept, and two government agencies formalized an agreement in a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate studies and technical activities associated with the human genome.

Human DNA All Stored in One Database

As part of the project, researchers at HGP deciphered the human genome in three major ways, including determining the order, or sequence, of all the bases on the DNA of the genome; Making maps showing the genes' location for major sections of all chromosomes; and generating the so-called "linkage maps," through which inherited characteristics like those for genetic diseases, can be tracked over generations.

According to Antonio Regalado, senior editor of MIT Technology Review, who engaged with Musk over the question, the storage size of a single human genome could end up being 100 gigabytes.

Billy Markin, co-creator of Degocoin and one of the so-called "closest Twitter penpals" of Musk, immediately pointed out the possibly hair-raising implications of holding all of the DNA sequences of humanity in a tiny room.

Meanwhile, in a meme Markin posted, Natali Portman's Padme Amidala from Star Wars Episode II asked, "And it'll be used for good, right?" Similar to the True Viral News report, it is one interpretation of their comment on Musk.

The billionaire CEO could be simply pointing out how surprisingly small the cumulative data of all of the DNA of humans could turn out to be, given the extensive commonalities between them.

'Lossless Compression Delta'

Musk said one could have a few reference human genomes and simply code every individual with a "lossless compression delta!"

Simply put, why store common DNA information twice if one could reference the data multiple human genomes share.

Certainly, it is an eyebrow-raising comment from the likes of Elon Musk. Collecting DNA sequences of all humans alive and walking on this planet could end in a disaster of unperceivable proportions if the data were to ever land in the wrong place or be used for nefarious purposes.

Nonetheless, there's a need to err on the side of warning and assume that Musk was "thinking out loud."

Related information about Elon Musk on Human Genetics is shown on Tesla Motors Pro's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Elon Musk in Science Times.