According to David Nield of Science Alert, it’s estimated that humans are producing ten million Blu-ray discs’ worth of data every single day. The question is: Is it possible to store all that data and why would we want to store that data in the first place? Scientists in the UK tell us that it’s possible to store that much data with a five-dimensional (5D) digital data disc that can store 360 terabytes of data for some 13.8 billion years.
Yes, researchers from the University of Southampton have employed a process called femtosecond laser writing that creates small discs of glass using an ultrafast laser that generates short and intense pulses of light. The pulses are capable of writing data in three distinct layers of nanostructured dots separated by five micrometers (.005mm).
So, why the bother of storing tons of information? Peter Kazansky, one of the scientists working on the project said, “This technology can secure the last evidence of our civilization: all we’ve learnt will not be forgotten.” Whether it’s the record of our existence after we’re long gone, a vast library of knowledge, the written record of the Holy Bible, or anywhere large amounts of data are kept, the science to store it all is here and now. My question in closing is this: Who is going to read all that information if no one is around to read it? Maybe little green men and women from Mars might be interested when they figure out how to get here.
