Scientists Record Password Inside a Molecule Structure
Article:
Storing Passwords in Plastic Molecules: A Revolutionary Approach to Data Storage
Wanna secure your password without the hassle of traditional storage? Researchers at the University of Texas have a solution: store it in a plastic molecule! This innovative method comes with its perks and drawbacks.
The team managed to encode an eleven-digit password ("Dh&@dR%P0W¢") in a polymer (a chain-like molecule) and subsequently decipher it to unlock a computer. Their findings were published in the journal "Chem".
Praveen Pasupathy, co-author of the study, explains that storing information in plastic molecules could be a significant step towards archiving data in everyday materials. However, it isn't just about long-term storage.
Why Plastic Molecules?
Conventional data storage devices, like hard drives and flash drives, often have maintenance costs, consume energy, and have limited lifespans. Plastic molecules, on the other hand, could be an alternative due to their long lifespan.
While DNA and synthetic polymers have been previously shown to store information effectively, decoding these molecules usually requires expensive equipment like mass spectrometers. The advantage of plastic molecules lies in the potential to read information using relatively small and cost-effective equipment, according to first author Eric Anslyn.
Decoding the Molecules: One Ride Down a Time Tunnel
The team created an alphabet of four different monomers (molecular building blocks) and assigned unique electrochemical properties to each. By combining these building blocks, they achieved a total of 256 possible characters. To test their method, they stored the 11-digit password in a polymer.
To decrypt the message, the team gradually decomposed the polymer into its building blocks and interpreted the unique electrochemical properties to reveal the hidden data. A drawback of this method: once read, the polymers are destroyed.
It currently takes around 2.5 hours to decipher an 11-digit password, but the team is working on speeding up the process. They envision this method as a stepping stone towards portable, integrated technologies for data storage based on polymer technology.
This innovative approach to data storage holds potential for the future of long-term archiving, as it does not degrade with power loss and could lead to novel, robust solutions if technological advancements allow us to overcome scalability and accessibility challenges. 🚀🔬💻
- The innovative approach of storing data, such as passwords, in plastic molecules, as proposed by the research conducted at the University of Texas, could potentially revolutionize science, technology, and education, by offering a solution for long-term data storage in everyday materials.
- Since decoding plastic molecules can be accomplished using relatively small and cost-effective equipment, compared to the expensive equipment typically required for decoding DNA and synthetic polymers, this method could bring significant advancements in the field of science and technology, particularly in the realm of data storage.
