Scientists have saved human DNA on a crystal that can last for billions of years

British researchers have managed to store all the information of human DNA in a crystal, which could be used to bring humanity back to life after possible extinction.

Scientists at the University of Southampton used lasers to inscribe data onto a 5D crystal, which, unlike other storage formats, does not degrade over time.

“Unlike marking only on the surface of a piece of 2D paper or magnetic tape, this encoding method uses two optical dimensions and three spatial coordinates to write throughout the material,” claim the British scientists.

5D memory crystals can store up to 360 terabytes of information, and the format was awarded the Guinness World Record for the most durable data storage material in 2014.

This is one of the most chemically and thermally durable materials on Earth. The crystal can withstand massive forces, extreme temperatures and even exposure to cosmic radiation.

The 5D memory crystal inscribed by the researchers was stored in the Human Memory archive – a special time capsule in a salt cave in Hallstatt, Austria.

The team hopes that this method can be used in the future to record the genomes of plant and animal species facing extinction.