Groundbreaking 5D Crystal Stores Entire Human Genome for Billions of Years

According to an article by Paul McClure published on September 19 on New Atlas, researchers at the University of Southampton have achieved a remarkable feat by inscribing the entire human genome onto a five-dimensional crystal. This advanced storage medium can hold up to 360 terabytes of data and is designed to endure for billions of years without degradation.

This innovation draws parallels to the Pioneer plaques, which were intended to communicate with potential extraterrestrial life. The 5D memory crystal, often referred to as the “Superman crystal,” employs ultra-fast lasers to encode information in five dimensions, significantly increasing data density compared to traditional storage methods.

To ensure the genomic data’s accuracy, each of the approximately three billion letters in the genome was sequenced 150 times. A visual key was also inscribed, providing future discoverers—whether human, machine, or alien—with the knowledge needed to interpret the data. Currently, this extraordinary crystal is preserved in a time capsule within an ancient Austrian salt cave, overseen by the Memory of Mankind archive.