America’s Time Capsule
As part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the Library of Congress is making a trailblazing contribution to America’s Time Capsule in Philadelphia in July: a tiny metal pellet holding synthetic DNA encoded with digital copies of items from the Library’s collections.
The Library initiated a molecular data storage feasibility study in response to a request from Congress in 2024. As a result, the Library has been examining the storage capabilities of a new medium, synthetic DNA. An entirely manufactured molecule, synthetic DNA is designed to replicate the exceptional information density of nature’s best storage medium: DNA itself.
Working with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information Systems Lab, the Library has converted selected digital data into synthesized DNA strands encased in a metal vial about the length of a pencil eraser.
The synthetic DNA includes, among other Library collection items, digital copies of: Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence; “The Star-Spangled Banner” lyrics written in Francis Scott Key’s hand; the 1791 L’Enfant plan for Washington, D.C.; digitized 1890 Native American audio recordings in Passamaquoddy; the canvas drawing of the Blackwell’s Kinfolk family tree, depicting more than 1,500 names; and the Annals of the Congress of the United States, covering congressional proceedings, including the making of the Constitution, from 1789 to 1824.
Synthetic DNA can store about nine terabytes of digital data in one cubic millimeter, approximately 1,000 to 100,000 times greater than the capacity of conventional digital storage methods like hard drives, tape drives and cloud storage. It also is highly durable, lasting thousands of years with little to no maintenance or power consumption.
The encasement includes a small chip containing decoding instructions, ensuring the synthetic DNA sequence can be reassembled into its original digital data when America’s Time Capsule is opened in 2276 — 250 years from now.