Human genome stored on 'everlasting' memory crystal
Scientists at the University of Southampton have stored the complete human genome on a 5D memory crystal, capable of lasting billions of years and holding 360 terabytes of data.
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Scientists at the University of Southampton have successfully stored the complete human genome on a 5D memory crystal, a groundbreaking data storage technology capable of lasting billions of years. This innovation aims to serve as a potential blueprint for reviving humanity or endangered species in the distant future, should advancements in science allow for such possibilities. The 5D memory crystal, developed by the university's Optoelectronics Research Centre, can hold up to 360 terabytes of data without degradation, even under extreme conditions such as high temperatures and cosmic radiation. The crystal's durability surpasses that of traditional storage methods, making it the most resilient data storage material recognized by Guinness World Records. The data is inscribed using ultra-fast lasers that create nanostructured voids within the silica, allowing for a unique encoding method that utilizes both optical dimensions and spatial coordinates. The crystal is housed in the Memory of Mankind archive in Hallstatt, Austria, and features visual keys to help future intelligences understand the genomic data it contains. The project highlights the potential for creating a lasting repository of genetic information, which could be crucial for restoring complex organisms in the future.
- The University of Southampton has stored the human genome on a 5D memory crystal.
- The crystal can last billions of years and withstand extreme environmental conditions.
- It holds up to 360 terabytes of data and is recognized as the most durable data storage material.
- The project aims to create a repository for reviving endangered species and potentially humanity.
- The crystal is stored in a time capsule in Hallstatt, Austria, with visual keys for future retrieval.
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11 commentsA family mausoleum full of ancestral DNA would be quite nice and meaningful, even if many other things about the person are lost. It's probably how I'd like to be "buried".
Maybe this is the suitable medium.
I could just have missed them, but the longevity of the idea compared to lack of product makes me wonder what the hold-up is... too expensive to make? Bad data transfer rates?
On its surface (pun not intended) a super long-lasting high capacity, write-only storage medium seems to have all sorts of good use cases, so I can't imagine a lack of demand would be a problem.. without some deeper technical holdback.
Ummmmm.......
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