This could store the entire history of mankind on one device!
Scientists at the University of Southampton have made an unprecedented step forward in data storage with the development of a digital storage device capable of surviving for billions of years.
Using nanostructured glass, the team of scientists at the university’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) were able to record and retrieve five dimensional (5D) digital data by femtosecond laser writing, as illustrated in the video below.
The new device, which is a small, coin-sized, glass disk nicknamed the “Superman memory crystal,” can store up to 360 terabytes per disc and remain stable at temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius (1832 degrees Fahrenheit). The device will also have a nearly unlimited lifespan, with scientists estimating that the device could last up to 13.8 billion years if used and stored at room temperature.
In a statement, professor Peter Kazansky from the ORC said, “It is thrilling to think that we have created the technology to preserve documents and information and store it in space for future generations. This technology can secure the last evidence of our civilisation: all we’ve learnt will not be forgotten.”
Now, important documents from human history such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Newton’s Opticks, and the Bible can all be saved as digital copies onto the device. It could even outlast the human race, which indicates remarkable progress in the age of digital information storage.
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