Indestructible 5D memory crystals to store humanity’s genome for billions of years | These crystals can store up to 360 terabytes of data for billions of years, resisting degradation even in extreme temperatures.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/5d-memory-crystals-to-store-humanitys-genome
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From the article: Researchers have stored the entire human genome on a 5D memory crystal, a data storage breakthrough that can last billions of years.
A team at the University of Southampton envisions the crystal serving as a blueprint to revive humanity from extinction, even billions of years into the future if science permits.
The method may also be utilized to compile a permanent database of the genomes of threatened plant and animal species.
“The 5D memory crystal opens up possibilities for other researchers to build an everlasting repository of genomic information from which complex organisms like plants and animals might be restored should science in the future allow,” said Peter Kazansky, professor in optoelectronics at the University and the lead on the study.
Will it survive the death of the sun so that future lifeforms (aka aliens from our POV) can know about us?
Edit: updated based on comment below
Yes that makes sense, but why give it a shitty hype name when it only has the normal number of dimensions?
Annoying.
You should look into [project silica](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/project-silica/) if you want to see where this is going. Microsoft’s version will be a robust archiving service.
There was a science fiction series I can’t remember the name of where this exact thing, massive cheap memory system, was the catalyst for the collapse of normal order, accompanying massive technical acceleration.
Can you please explain what the 4th and 5th dimensions are in this context?
I find it interesting that I don’t care about this at all
I need one for my Napster and Limewire DL folders. Gotta get all that data off of my 3.5″s
Microsoft bought this technology, where they could store information in crystals, exactly how Superman computer worked.
Never ceases to amaze me the time spent on shit thats not gonna help us in any shape of form 🙂 Doing everything but fixing the problems causing human extinction.
This isn’t new BTW, the technology is at least a decade old. The only new part is recording the human genome on it.
They aren’t anything new, similar has existed for a good couple of decades 🙂
Great, guess i’ll have to buy the white album again
Aside from the sudden implication of 1 or 2 more dimensions… what’s the point, why is our genome going to be valuable to anyone in any way alien or not. Ooh wow primitive no hair monkey humanoids that destroyed their own planet and couldn’t agree on basic shit, yeah let’s pop that in the museum of intergalactic fails and move on…
Can they spontaneously create a Fortress of Solitude?
If anything that can comprehend it is gone, is it still information?
ok so? billions of years from now if anything is intelligent to know what they are how do they read them?and would they want to?
Ahh finally storage powerful enough to keep up with all the call of duty updates.