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Updated: Apr 10, 2026

Extraction of High Molecular Weight Genomic DNA from Soils and Sediments
Published on: November 10, 2009
An Estimate of the Total DNA in the Biosphere
Hanna K E Landenmark1, Duncan H Forgan1, Charles S Cockell1
1United Kingdom Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Modern whole-organism genome analysis, in combination with biomass estimates, allows us to estimate a lower bound on the total information content in the biosphere: 5.3 × 1031 (±3.6 × 1031) megabases (Mb) of DNA. Given conservative estimates regarding DNA transcription rates, this information content suggests biosphere processing speeds exceeding yottaNOPS values (1024 Nucleotide Operations Per Second). Although prokaryotes evolved at least 3 billion years before plants and animals, we find that the information content of prokaryotes is similar to plants and animals at the present day. This information-based approach offers a new way to quantify anthropogenic and natural processes in the biosphere and its information diversity over time.
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