Most of us have used the sniff test to decide whether a slightly expired bottle of milk or a week-old box of takeout is still good to eat. But while the human nose can be quite astute, it doesn't always catch everything. Each year, millions of people in the U.S. are sickened by food-borne pathogens that thrive in undercooked or spoiled food.

Data keeps growing exponentially, driving demand for better memory storage solutions. Synthetic DNA is a strong candidate to answer this need, given its high information density, durability and relevance as the molecule of life.