How much information will we leave behind?

originally posted by: AdmireTheDistance
While it may not be on original CDs or magnetic hard drives, we'll leave plenty of digital data behind, that will last for thousands of years, if not more. Standard Blu-Ray discs have a lifespan of 50 to 100 years. M-Discs have been available for over a year, and are purported to be able to last up to 1,000 years. Sony is releasing the similar Archival Disc format sometime this year.

Then you have the really insane stuff, such as Harvard scientists managing to store 5.5 petabits of data in one gram of DNA (this was 2 years ago, source). And finally, we have Hitachi, who have developed a system for laser-etching digital information into quartz glass that they hope to bring to market this year, with a theoretical usable lifespan of 100 million years....

That's the first I've heard of such ways for storing data! I guess like the other poster mentioned, the problem would then become future people being able to decode that data, or even notice it as data in the first place. Gives me a little hope we'll leave some long-term data behind though!

What will humanity leave behind?

Plastic. Lots & lots of plastic.

www.21stcentech.com...

www.theguardian.com...

Good thread James, I have to agree with other posters that if it is not etched into stone it will be gone before we know it.
Maybe down real deep in the ground with a titanium casing or something but the chances of some race actually finding something that deep is remote in my opinion.

I am not out to derail your great thread but I think this link applies to what you are asking in your OP.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

S&F my friend
Regards, Iwinder