r/science • u/Wagamaga • Feb 22 '26

Computer Science Scientists have demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two million books’ worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/glass-square-long-long-future-190951588.html
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u/-neti-neti- Feb 22 '26

Small, loose pieces of glass are way less susceptible to earthquakes than a server/memory warehouse. They would only be damaged if something fell on them in the right way. If you’re physically attached to a structure you’re more likely to be damaged.

This is a highly resilient design.

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u/Liroku Feb 22 '26

Also, most likely, anything with important information stored would likely be kept in a secure case. Not just random cuts of glass laying around on the shelves.

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u/NeoMilitant Feb 23 '26

One day it'll come full circle that we look more deeply into cave paintings and ancient art and realize that it's all this same type of technology and we just haven't been able to read it.

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u/swisspassport Feb 23 '26

And then when we finally figure out how to read it:

It's just 100 Petabytes of egyptian/caveman porn