Human genome stored inside near-indestructible '5D memory crystal' that could survive to the end of the universe

For the first time, scientists have stored a copy of humanity's genetic blueprint inside a near-indestructible "5D memory crystal" — a new data storage format that could keep the valuable information safe for billions of years, or even potentially to the end of time.

The researchers believe the DNA time capsule could be used to revive our species long after we have gone extinct. But not everyone agrees.

The coin-size crystal, developed by researchers at the University of Southampton in England, is made from a synthetic material that mimics the properties of fused quartz — a glass made of almost pure silica, which is one of the most thermally and chemically stable materials ever discovered. The team first pioneered the crystal in 2014, and it's remained the "most durable data storage material" on the planet ever since, according to Guinness World Records.

Most data storage formats in use today degrade over time. But researchers predict that the crystals could remain stable at room temperature for 300 quintillion years (3 followed by 20 zeros), which is longer than most theories predict the universe will last. Even at higher temperatures up to 374 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius), the material could stay intact for up to 13.8 billion years, which is around the same age as the universe is now. Either way, the crystal could potentially outlive Earth, which will be destroyed by the sun in around 5 billion years.

The crystals can survive in temperatures around 1,800 F (1,000 C) or well below freezing. They can also withstand forces up to 10 tons per square centimeter — roughly equivalent to the weight of two African elephants (Loxodonta sp.) — and long exposure to cosmic radiation, meaning they could survive long journeys through space, researchers wrote in a statement.

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To store information within the crystals, the researchers use lasers to transcribe data onto millions of 20-nanometer-wide (0.0000008 inches) nodes stacked within a five-dimensional matrix, which contains "two optical dimensions and three spatial coordinates," researchers wrote.