{"id":570851,"date":"2026-03-30T14:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/570851\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:18:09","slug":"undergraduate-students-help-turn-science-fiction-into-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/570851\/","title":{"rendered":"Undergraduate students help turn science fiction into reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our world is drowning in its own memories. Every photo, every \u201clike\u201d and every byte we upload demands physical space and massive amounts of energy to maintain; it\u2019s estimated that if we put all the information we\u2019ve ever created onto a standard DVD, the stack would stretch to the moon and back more than 50 times.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a hunger that traditional tech no longer satisfies.<\/p>\n

But inside Dr. Will Hughes<\/a>\u2019 DNA nanotechnology lab at UBC Okanagan, students and researchers are pivoting from silicon to biology, trying to find new ways to store this vast amount of information.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A simplified model of how single strands of DNA assemble into a DNA origami structure.<\/p>\n

\u201cDigital data is just strings of zeros and ones,\u201d explains Dr. Luca Piantanida, a research associate in the lab. \u201cWhat we\u2019re doing is creating physical patterns at the nanoscale that represent those same zeros and ones, but using DNA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through a technique called DNA origami, synthetic strands are folded into tiny rectangular nanostructures that turn biological material into the world\u2019s most compact hard drive. Specific positions on those structures can either contain a short DNA strand or remain empty. Under a powerful fluorescence microscope, those positions either light up or stay dark.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A representative image of DNA origami, with the bright spots representing data.<\/p>\n

A bright spot represents a \u201c1.\u201d A dark spot represents a \u201c0.\u201d Together, those patterns form digital information that can be stored.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like a microscopic Lite-Brite,\u201d explains Sam Smith, an undergraduate student studying for a double major in computer science and medical and molecular biochemistry. \u201cWe\u2019re physically building patterns that represent data.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith, along with fellow undergraduate students Stephanie Dueck and Hasan Mohammad are all contributing to this ground-breaking research.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Science student Stephanie Dueck prepares a DNA mixture following Dr. Piantanida\u2019s suggestions.<\/p>\n

Their experience goes far beyond theory; in the lab, they pipette precise mixtures of DNA strands, prepare purification gels and assist in imaging samples under advanced microscope systems. They watch as structures designed on a computer assemble themselves at the nanoscale, and then analyze the glowing patterns that confirm the data has been stored successfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very hands-on,\u201d says Dueck, a second-year science student. \u201cIn lectures, we\u2019re learning about the future of this research, but here in the lab, we\u2019re actually a part of creating that future. I know I wouldn\u2019t gain the same skills and experiences from lectures alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the technology is still in its early stages, its potential is enormous.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Undergraduate student Hasan Mohammad examines samples using a super-resolution microscope.<\/p>\n

DNA is incredibly dense and remarkably durable, capable of preserving information for thousands, even millions, of years under the right conditions. Rather than replacing everyday hard drives, this approach could one day safeguard humanity\u2019s most important records for the distant future.<\/p>\n

For Mohammad, an electrical engineering undergrad, being part of that possibility is what makes the work meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to know that something we\u2019re building here could contribute to solving a global problem,\u201d Mohammad says. \u201cAs an undergraduate, you don\u2019t always expect to work on something this cutting-edge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adds Dr. Piantanida, \u201cThe work happening here could shape how humanity stores its most important information. Here at UBC Okanagan, we\u2019re laying the groundwork for what might be possible.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our world is drowning in its own memories. Every photo, every \u201clike\u201d and every byte we upload demands…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":570852,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[219613,49,48,66],"class_list":["post-570851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-all-in-story","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/570852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}