Scientists have stored the entire human genome on a five-dimensional crystal that’s capable of digitally storing up to 360 terabytes of information and is built to survive for billions of years. The tech could be used to create an enduring record of human,

Scientists in the United Kingdom have stored the entire human genome on a “5D memory crystal,” in the hope that it could be used in the future as a blueprint to bring humanity back from extinction.

If humanity ever goes extinct, scientists now have a backup plan: a coin-sized crystal storing the entire human genome. Future species could use this record as an instructional manual to recreate humans some millions—or even billions—of years from the present.

The entire human genome – all 3 billion or so base pairs – has been stored on a tiny, 5D memory crystal built to last for billions of years. In theory, should humans go extinct, this little chip could provide a blueprint to bring us back – providing the technology to do so has materialized by then.

University of Southampton scientists have stored the full human genome on a 5D memory crystal—a revolutionary data storage format that can survive for billions of years.