Stamp-Sized Drive Will Hold More TikTok Videos Than You Can Watch in a Year
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The creation of a new magnetic molecule could pave the way to build new, stamp-sized hard drives capable of holding the equivalent of 500,000 TikTok videos.
This 100-fold improvement in data storage is the tantalizing promise of a study by chemists from the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Manchester, England.
The magnetic storage technology used in current hard disk drives record information by magnetizing tiny regions, each made up of many atoms, all working in concert to preserve "bits" (binary digits) of data—either a "0" or a "1."
In contrast, single-molecule magnets can store information all on their own, without the help of their neighbors.
"If perfected, these molecules could pack large amounts of information into tiny spaces," said paper author and chemist Professor Nicholas Chilton of ANU in a statement.
"This new molecule could lead to new technologies that could store about three terabytes of data per square centimeter.
"That's equivalent to around 40,000 CD copies of [Pink Floyd's] The Dark Side of the Moon album squeezed into a hard drive the size of a postage stamp—or around half a million TikTok videos."
According to the researchers, the magnetic molecules' storage ability stems from their unique structure, which features an atom of the rare earth element dysprosium sandwiched between two nitrogen atoms, all in a line.
This configuration, the researchers say, has long been predicted to enhance magnetic performance, but this is the first time that such has been made a reality, as dysprosium normally forms angular bonds with nitrogen.
To get around this, the chemists added a "molecular pin" to the dysprosium that helps hold the molecule in the right structure.
A model of the new single-magnet molecule, which features an atom of the rare earth element dysprosium sandwiched between two nitrogen molecules.
A model of the new single-magnet molecule, which features an atom of the rare earth element dysprosium sandwiched between two nitrogen molecules.
Jamie Kidston / ANU
There is a small catch to the whole new data storage concept, however—the magnetic molecule needs to be chilled to -279 degrees Fahrenheit (-173 degrees Celsius) to retain its memory, which is about as cold as an evening on the dark side of the moon.
"We won't be seeing this type of data storage in our mobile phones for a while," cautions paper author and University of Manchester chemist Professor David Mills in a statement.
However, this is still a significant improvement on the previous record for a single-molecule magnet, which worked only up to -315 degrees Fahrenheit (-193 degrees Celsius).
"While still a long way from working in a standard freezer, or at room temperature, data storage at 100 Kelvin, or about -173 degrees Celsius, could be feasible in huge data centers, such as those used by Google," Mills added.
He said: "Although the new magnet still needs cooling far below room temperature, it is now well above the temperature of liquid nitrogen—a readily available coolant—which is 77 Kelvin, or around -196 degrees Celsius."
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about data storage tech? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference
Emerson-King, J., Gransbury, G. K., Atkinson, B. E., Blackmore, W. J. A., Whitehead, G. F. S., Chilton, N. F., & Mills, D. P. (2025). Soft magnetic hysteresis in a dysprosium amide—alkene complex up to 100 kelvin. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09138-0
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Newsmax Settles Dominion Lawsuit as Trump Renews Attacks on Voting Machines
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, which accused the conservative network of spreading false claims about Donald Trump's 2020 election loss, according to court documents filed Monday. The settlement comes a year after Fox News paid $787.5 million to resolve a similar case with Dominion. Newsmax also previously paid $40 million to settle a separate lawsuit from another voting technology firm, Smartmatic, which was also the subject of pro-Trump conspiracy theories aired on the network. Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis had already ruled that Newsmax defamed Dominion by broadcasting false claims about its voting machines. However, he left it to a jury to decide whether the network acted with malice and to determine the damages. That trial was averted when the parties reached the agreement last Friday. The deal was disclosed in a filing Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The announcement coincided with a new social media post by Trump, who vowed to eliminate mail-in ballots and voting machines supplied by Dominion and other companies—though it remains unclear how the former president could carry out such a plan. Trump lost his 2020 reelection bid to Democrat Joe Biden. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Erin overshot every model to reach ‘extreme' rapid intensity. What is making these storms so threatening?
The hurricane, now a Category 4 storm, is regenerating as it expands into a powerful force of nature. Erin was located just east of the Bahamas on Monday and had sustained winds of 140 miles per hour and tropical storm-force winds reaching out 230 miles, the National Hurricane Center said Advertisement 'Erin's intensification was pretty remarkable,' said Andy Hazelton, a hurricane researcher with the University of Miami. 'It got better organized [Friday] night and then just exploded overnight (Friday).' Advertisement Erin had a very tight core, which allowed the winds to accelerate quickly like a figure skater closing their arms, rotating faster around a central point. Another way to look at it is when you have a large carousel at a theme park versus a smaller one in a children's park. Circulating around a central point is faster with the smaller carousel. Erin was a small storm that simply blew up around that smaller, tighter rotation. 'Extreme rapid intensification' was exactly what happened in 2023 with Hurricane Lee, which shattered the 35-mile-per-hour standard for rapid intensification by increasing winds by 80 miles per hour. The number of hurricanes undergoing "extreme rapid intensification" is increasing. Climate Central The ocean's rising temperatures, ranging from 84 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 4 degrees above average), have provided the necessary fuel for storms to dramatically strengthen, a consequence of a warming planet, forecasters and researchers say. 'It was in an environment with extremely warm waters and minimal wind shear, and there is even warmer water ahead of it,' said Marshall Shepherd, director of the University of Georgia's atmospheric sciences program and former president of the Boston-based American Meteorological Society. 'That extra heat comes back to manifest itself at some point, and one of the ways it does is through stronger hurricanes,' Shepherd said. Atlantic sea-surface temperatures where Hurricane Erin has been traversing are running 1 to 2 degrees Celsius (3 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit). Tropical Tidbits 'We've seen a lot of rapid intensification cases in recent years: Milton, Helene, Ian, Ida, Laura, Dorian, Michael, etc.,' Hazelton said. 'Research is ongoing, but studies do suggest RI will be more likely in a warming climate, even if the total number of hurricanes remains about the same.' Shepherd noted that a Advertisement Erin went through explosive intensification Friday into Saturday. Hot seas, low wind shear, tight core all allowed an 80 mph jump in wind speeds in less than 24 hours! Growing in numbers The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season saw seven hurricanes rapidly intensify, the most since 2020, when 10 of the 13 hurricanes underwent rapid intensification multiple times during their lifespans. Similarly, last hurricane season delivered 34 individual episodes of rapid intensification, nearly doubling the average number during a typical hurricane season in the past decade. Hurricanes Beryl, Helene, Milton, Isaac, Kirk, Rafael, and Oscar all underwent rapid intensification multiple times. Seven hurricanes went through rapid intensification during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season - the most since 2020. NOAA About 80 percent of major hurricanes undergo rapid intensification throughout their development. The combination of low wind shear and plenty of hot, moist air from the warm ocean water is like flicking a match onto gasoline — the atmosphere ignites. As oceans continue to warm, the fuel source will just continue to grow more potent for storms to explode. In the case of Hurricane Erin, it struggled early on as a tropical storm to gain enough strength through a large plume of Saharan dust. But after shaking the moisture-wicking dry air, Erin entered more favorable conditions for quick strengthening, exploding into a very intense storm. Rapid intensification is more common than we think with hurricanes, especially with global warming. Climate Central These kinds of storms have increased in number in recent decades. Since the early 1980s, a tropical storm or hurricane is now five times more likely to rapidly intensify, growing to one in three storms now likely to see an explosive build-up. That brings us to what climatology tells us and what might be coming down the pike. August typically sees a massive leap in rapid intensification episodes, with the most occurring in September, when sea-surface temperatures across the Atlantic are at their highest for the season. 'Mid-to-late August is exactly when we start paying super close attention to the waves coming off Africa… that's when the Saharan dust also starts to go away,' no longer impeding a storm's development, said Brian McNoldy, a senior researcher with the University of Miami. Advertisement If the chances and frequency of rapidly intensifying hurricanes keep increasing, then naturally so do the chances for more landfalls at greater strength. The percentage of all Atlantic rapid intensification events each month during a hurricane season. CSU Rapidly intensifying storms make hurricane forecasting so vital, especially during the height of hurricane season, which ranges from August to October, and peaks on Sept. 10. Although predicting when a storm will experience such intensification is extremely difficult, forecasting accuracy has dramatically improved since the early 2000s. 'Around 2010, the idea that you could have 70% detection of rapid intensification at 24 hours (as the National Hurricane Center did last year) would have been unheard of,' said Hazelton. Meteorologist and Globe correspondent Chris Gloninger and Marianne Mizera of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Ken Mahan can be reached at
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
The US-China New Space Race Is Intensifying
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The space race between the United States and China is intensifying, with both countries conducting rocket activities in their contest for dominance outside Earth's atmosphere. On August 12, the U.S. military carried out its first National Security Space Launch with a newly certified rocket. Three days later, China conducted the first static fire test of a new rocket intended for its manned lunar landing missions, which it plans to carry out before the end of the decade. Why It Matters Space, once seen as a peaceful domain, has again become part of the competition among great powers. The U.S. established the Space Force amid growing threats from Russia and China, which have been accused of militarizing space. In addition to military developments in space, the U.S. and China are racing to be the first to return humans to the moon—a historic achievement that former NASA astronaut Colonel Terry Virts warned could determine whether the 21st century belongs to the U.S. or China. What To Know According to the U.S. Space Force, a Vulcan rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on its inaugural National Security Space Launch mission, delivering demonstrations and experiments, including a navigation satellite, into orbit for the Pentagon. A United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 12 on its first National Security Space Launch mission. A United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 12 on its first National Security Space Launch mission. United Launch Alliance The National Security Space Launch program uses commercial launch services to deploy satellites for communications; positioning, navigation, and timing; missile warning and tracking; and space situational awareness for the military and intelligence community. In late March, the Vulcan rocket—developed and operated by Colorado-based United Launch Alliance—was certified to deliver national security satellites into orbit, joining SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy as the third rocket certified for such missions. On Friday, the China Manned Space Agency announced that the Long March-10 carrier rocket successfully completed a static fire test at Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan, the country's southern island province, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. During the test, seven engines of the rocket's first stage were ignited, producing almost 1,000 tons of thrust while the rocket remained attached to the launch mount. The event evaluated the engines' simultaneous performance under different conditions, according to the agency. China's Long March-10 carrier rocket, the country's new-generation manned launch vehicle, conducts the first static fire test at Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan province, China, on August 15. China's Long March-10 carrier rocket, the country's new-generation manned launch vehicle, conducts the first static fire test at Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan province, China, on August 15. VCG via AP While the Long March-10 rocket is designed for China's manned lunar exploration missions, its sister variant, the shorter Long March-10A rocket, is also under development and is set to be used for missions carrying astronauts and cargo to the country's space station. What People Are Saying The U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command said in a news release on August 13: "Assured Access to Space executes the U.S. Space Force's core function of Space Access, performing the space lift and range control missions. It secures reliable and responsive launch services to deploy the space-based capabilities needed by our Nation's warfighters, intelligence professionals, decision makers, allies and partners." The China Manned Space Agency announced on August 15: "The Long March-10 series rockets will be fully utilized in the country's manned spaceflight program, working in tandem with the Mengzhou manned spacecraft to achieve the upgrading of China's manned space-Earth round-trip transportation system." What Happens Next Facing China's rapidly growing space capabilities, it remains to be seen whether the U.S.—including the military, NASA and commercial service providers—will maintain its space dominance.
