Should science allow it, data on this unique storage system could be used in the future to bring back extinct species of plants and animals, including humans.
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.
Peter Kazansky, Professor in Optoelectronics and leader of the research team working on the project
‘Everlasting’ storage
A product of over 20 years of research, the 5D memory crystal has been developed by Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) and can hold up to 360 terabytes of information for the largest diameter of crystal.
The crystal can endure extreme temperatures, fire, and extreme impact force. It currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most durable data storage material. Scientists hope that this means all data stored on the crystal will exist for billions of years – and have dubbed it an ‘everlasting’ storage solution.
The genome data has been translated into binary code for the information to be preserved. Using ultra-fast lasers, Professor Peter Kazansky and his team have precisely inscribed this data into the crystal. These lasers can ‘write’ the data into the crystal from multiple angles and on multiple levels.
In contrast to standard storage systems, the process of creating this 5D crystal uses two optical dimensions and three spatial co-ordinates to write throughout the material, giving the crystal its '5D’ name.
The deep-read sequencing work was done in partnership with Helixwork Technologies.
Future-proof solutions
By adding a visual depiction of the contents on the front of the crystal, future generations – or indeed, future intelligent species or machines – will hopefully be able to understand what the crystal holds, regardless of language or knowledge of human existence.
Peter explains: “It could be found so far into the future that no frame of reference exists. That intelligence may not use the same numbers and words that we use today.
"We had to include a key that did not use words or numbers but should give the finder understanding of what data is inside and how it could be used in a living but emptied donor cell to self-replicate and grow into a body.”
At present, it’s not possible to synthetically create humans, plants and animals using genetic information alone. But when the time comes, this information will be available thanks to this work. It could be essential for addressing the world’s challenges in areas such as biodiversity and sustainability, protecting wildlife and repopulating endangered species.
Currently, the crystal is stored in the Memory of Mankind archive – a time capsule within a salt cave in Hallstatt, Austria.
Saving species from extinction
This 5D crystal technology is already being put to the test with international collaborations, with sights set on protecting – and reviving – species of animals.
Peter is working with colleagues, and with the University, to form a spin-out company called SPhotonix. Using this technology, they plan to use a genome provided by Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Copenhagen to permanently preserve the deep-read sequence of the woolly mammoth – with the intention of bringing it back from extinction.
There are also plans to harness this work and preserve one of the world’s most threatened animals, the giant panda. The team have approached the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China to explore this opportunity.
We have the capability now to save permanently the genomes of important species, which are still here but remain vulnerable to extinction due to low numbers and a small gene pool.
Professor Peter Kazansky
Peter concludes: “Using data crystals, information should never be lost again.”
