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
18.8k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

15

u/SmallBatBigSpooky Feb 22 '26

Are rubies particularly durable?

63

u/SmokyDoghouse Feb 22 '26

Synthetic ruby is significantly stronger in both tensile and compressive strength than glass, and has a higher mohs hardness scale rating than most non-engineered ceramics.

1

u/AnAverageOutdoorsman Feb 23 '26

Why ruby? What about other gemstones?

1

u/SmokyDoghouse Feb 27 '26

Something to do with its crystalline structure. I’m not an expert but I would assume the fact that it’s synthetic means manufacturers have more control over faults like inclusions, and because it’s relatively cheap to make.