Data Stored in "Diamonds" are Forever!
Hello!
Since cave dwellers of the Stone Age learned to sculpt their “life” on the rocks – urged by a desire to transmit knowledge or to convey something – the long adventure of data storage was initiated. Humans then passed to the dried clay, paper (for a very long time), and then, after the discovery of electricity, we saw the birth of the first modern storage devices.
The problem with all current storage device such as DVDs, USB, CDs or SD cards, is that they all degrade after a few years (oxidation, scratches on the surface). If the lifespan of these devices varies, they all end up damaged at some point.
Harnessing the Durability of Diamonds for “Permanent” Data Storage:
The word diamond is derived from the Greek “Adamas” meaning “unconquerable”: diamond hardness is without equal, and therefore, diamonds are virtually imperishable. It was this property that is the origin of the advertising slogan “Diamonds are forever.”
Imagine carrying your personal pictures, videos, and documents directly in a diamond ring! And above all, be certain they will never go away unlike conventional storage devices that have a relatively limited lifespan, a couple of years or, in the best case couple of decades.
Now, scientists at New York University have harnessed the power of diamonds in a way that will revolutionize data storage for the (very) long term! Researchers succeeded in encoding data on diamonds. They used laser to move electrons around and store gray-scale images, such as faces of famous physicists, on the atomic-sized imperfections of diamonds!
Leveraging Diamond Defects:
Diamond could store 100 times more data than a DVD in terms of bit density. Besides artificial diamonds could be used, and the more the defects, the better. Data is stored in Nitrogen-Vacancies (microscopic defects in the diamond). The more the “vacancies”, the less value of the diamond… but the more space it has to store data.
If you’d like to preserve your heritage, marks, wisdom or whatever for future generations, you should consider data storage solution that resists time. With this discovery, the non-degradable diamond is a premium candidate, since it is forever, depending on your definition of forever…
Z,
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What a great read ... never thought about data storage in this way before, I certainly never considered diamonds as an option. Now I have something to think about. Thanks for sharing Ziane.