University of Southampton scientists have developed something extraordinary: a small glass that can record the entirety of human history and last for nearly 14 billion years.
Using nanostructured glass and an “ultrafast” femtosecond laser capable of recording and retrieving data, these Five Dimensional discs allow users to store 360 TB worth of data per unit. They can also maintain thermal stability up to 1,000°C and last for 13.8 billion years at 190°C.
Of course, this opens up all kinds of ideas, including comparisons to pop culture. The 5D discs have already been called “Superman memory crystals,” crystal technology from Superman’s home planet of Krypton which carry information about the dead planet and can survival a host of environmental factors. It may make others think of the Mass Effect franchise, whose characters rely on lost alien technology and knowledge created and preserved by a race called the Protheans.
Many people are taking the opportunity to upload documents that represent culture onto the 5D discs, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Newton’s Opticks, Magna Carta and Kings James Bible. For more on this news, stay tuned.
Source: Southampton and Southampton Optoelectronics Research, IGN