Storing data with "molecular firecrackers"

Your personal data could soon be stored not on a phone or server but locked inside a molecule so tiny it’s invisible to the naked eye. Researchers have cracked the code on storing digital information in synthetic molecules called polymers - long chains of anything from plastic to protein made from building blocks known as monomers. Each monomer sends out a unique electrical signal that a special electrochemical technique can decode, turning these tiny sequences into passwords or secret messages. This game-changing technology could redefine data security without relying on traditional storage devices. To learn more about this groundbreaking work, Marushka Soobben spoke with Professors Eric Anslyn and Praveen Pasupathy from the University of Texas at Austin. Eric started by explaining how he had looked to nature for inspiration for the project…