In a remarkable breakthrough, University of Southampton scientists have successfully preserved the complete human genome on a 5D memory crystal. This revolutionary data storage format boasts incredible longevity, capable of surviving for billions of years.
The implications are extraordinary, as this technology could potentially serve as a blueprint for resurrecting humanity in the distant future. Additionally, it offers a powerful means of creating enduring records of endangered plant and animal species, ensuring their genetic information withstands the test of time.
The 5D memory crystal, developed by the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), represents a quantum leap in data storage technology. Picture a data storage medium that can retain up to 360 terabytes of information for billions of years without degradation, even at extreme temperatures. This extraordinary feat has rightfully earned it a Guinness World Record for being the most durable data storage material, a prestigious accolade bestowed upon it in 2014.
Comparable to fused quartz in durability, this crystal can withstand the harshest of conditions, including freezing temperatures, intense heat up to 1000 °C, and even direct impact forces of up to 10 tons per cm2. Moreover, it remains unaffected by prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation, making it a truly resilient medium for preserving valuable information.
The ingenious approach taken by the team at Southampton, led by the esteemed Professor Peter Kazansky, involves using ultra-fast lasers to inscribe data into nanostructured voids within silica, achieving feature sizes as minuscule as 20 nanometers.
What makes this technology truly revolutionary is its utilization of two optical dimensions and three spatial coordinates to inscribe data throughout the material, hence earning it the moniker ‘5D’ memory. This method transcends the limitations of traditional 2D data storage, making it a groundbreaking innovation with the potential to redefine the future of data storage.
The remarkable longevity of these crystals ensures that they will outlast humans and all other species. While it is currently impossible to synthetically create humans, plants, and animals using genetic information alone, recent years have seen significant advances in synthetic biology. Notably, in 2010, Dr. Craig Venter’s team achieved a major breakthrough by creating a synthetic bacterium.
“We know from the work of others that genetic material of simple organisms can be synthesized and used in an existing cell to create a viable living specimen in a lab,” says Prof Kazansky. “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.”
To put this concept to the test, the team developed a 5D memory crystal containing the entire human genome. With approximately three billion letters in the genome, each letter was sequenced 150 times to ensure its accurate positioning. This groundbreaking deep-read sequencing work was conducted in collaboration with Helixwork Technologies.
Nestled within the depths of a salt cave in Hallstatt, Austria lies a remarkable time capsule known as the Memory of Mankind archive, housing an extraordinary crystal. This crystal, meticulously designed by a dedicated team, holds within it a wealth of data intended for future intelligences, whether organic or artificial.
The creators of this marvel have ingeniously inscribed a visual key on the crystal, offering a glimpse into the knowledge it safeguards and how it can be harnessed. Prof. Kazansky, one of the masterminds behind this project, explains that the visual key provides essential insights into the stored data, ensuring that it can be deciphered and utilized by those who come across it in the distant future.
Delving deeper into the visual key, one encounters a mesmerizing array of universal elements and the intricate molecular structure of the DNA molecule. The key not only reveals the fundamental building blocks of life, such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, but also elucidates the composition and arrangement of the DNA molecule, including the four bases: adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine.
Moreover, it offers a captivating visualization of how genes are positioned within a chromosome, ready to be integrated into a cell. This awe-inspiring display serves as a visual testament to the ingenuity and dedication of the team behind the 5D memory crystal, paying homage to the iconic Pioneer spacecraft plaques launched by NASA, which ventured beyond the bounds of our Solar System.
The 5D memory crystal stands as a testament to human achievement and a profound invitation to future generations or entities, urging them to unlock the treasure trove of knowledge it holds.
“We don’t know if memory crystal technology will ever follow these plaques in the distance traveled, but each disc can be expected with a high degree of confidence to exceed their survival time,” adds Prof Kazansky.