Scientists have developed a “5D memory crystal” capable of storing the human genome with the aim of preserving the continuity of the species, even in the face of possible extinction. This innovative device is extremely resistant, made of a material similar to quartz, and can last billions of years, even in adverse conditions such as exposure to cosmic radiation. This way, if one day humanity disappears, a future conscious entity could eventually find the device and potentially recreate human life.
This crystal was created in 2014 by a team led by optoelectronics professor Peter Kazansky, from the University of Southampton. It has an impressive storage capacity of 360 terabytes and can remain stable at room temperature for an estimated 300 quintillion years.
However, at higher temperatures, such as 190 degrees Fahrenheit (around 88 degrees Celsius), its durability is reduced to 13.8 billion years, which is the approximate age of the universe. In addition to withstanding extreme temperatures, the crystal is able to withstand impacts of up to 10 tons per square centimetre and prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation, and is recognized by Guinness as the most durable digital storage medium.
Faced with the reliability challenges of traditional digital storage methods, the 5D memory crystal has emerged as an ideal solution for the secure archiving of electronic information. Kazansky’s team set out to encode the human genome, made up of three billion characters, in a small crystal the size of a coin. To do this, they used ultra-fast lasers that etch the DNA code into tiny voids in the silica of the disc, just 20 nanometers in diameter.
While most traditional storage methods use a two-dimensional approach, the 5D memory crystal combines “two optical dimensions and three spatial coordinates”, which gives it superior storage capacity. Inspired by the Voyager mission’s Golden Disks, the device also includes a visual key that guides its use, with illustrations of human beings, the composition of basic elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen, the structure of DNA and other essential information that could be needed for the synthetic creation of a human being.
Currently, the 5D memory crystal containing the human genome is stored in the “Memory of Mankind” archive, located in the world’s oldest salt mine in Hallstatt, Austria. The expectation is that it will remain safe and secure until, in the distant future, it can be used if necessary.
Kazansky acknowledges that current technology does not yet allow the ultimate goals of the disc to be achieved, but points to advances in synthetic biology, such as the creation of a synthetic bacterium in 2010, which indicate a promising path.
“We know from previous research that the genetic material of simple organisms can be synthesized and introduced into existing cells, generating viable specimens in the laboratory,” explained Kazansky. “The 5D memory crystal opens up new opportunities for other scientists to establish a lasting repository of genomic information, allowing for the potential restoration of complex organisms, such as plants and animals, if science evolves in this direction.”
