-This is a guest post by Brett Zongker and Deb Fiscella, both of the public affairs section in the Office of Communications. It also appears in slightly different form in the May/June issue of the Library of Congress Magazine.
The nation’s oldest federal cultural institution is using some of the newest technology to preserve digital copies of historical collection items for the next 250 years.
As part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the Library made a trailblazing contribution to America’s Time Capsule : a tiny metal pellet holding synthetic DNA encoded with digital copies of items from the Library’s collections. The capsule itself – a 900-pound stainless steel cylinder covered by a 1,100-pound stainless steel bell jar – was ceremonially buried 10 feet underground on July 4th at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.
Maintained by the park and the National Park Service, it is not to be opened until July 4, 2276. Hundreds of other items – letters, memorabilia and documents, all helping tell the story of the nation’s history and culture – were all tucked in the capsule, including from all three branches of government, the Supreme Court and all states and territories. The Library’s experts helped determine which items could survive two and and a half centuries. (A bottle of Coca-Cola, an I-Phone, and the starting lineup of the Philadelphia Phillies all made the cut.)
For the Library’s tiny, data-packed cylinder, 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 the time capsule is opened 250 years from now.
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Facts Only
* The Library of Congress is preserving digital copies of historical collection items using synthetic DNA for up to 250 years.
* This effort was made as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
* A time capsule containing synthetic DNA-encoded digital copies of items was buried in Philadelphia on July 4th.
* The capsule, a 900-pound stainless steel cylinder and bell jar, was buried 10 feet underground at Independence National Historical Park.
* The time capsule contains items from the Library’s collections, including documents from the three branches of government, the Supreme Court, and states/territories.
* Digital data was converted into synthetic DNA strands encased in metal vials using collaboration with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information Systems Lab.
* The stored information includes digital copies of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence draft, "The Star-Spangled Banner" lyrics, the 1791 L’Enfant plan, Native American audio recordings, a family tree drawing, and Congressional Annals (1789–1824).
* Synthetic DNA can store approximately nine terabytes of digital data per cubic millimeter.
* The synthetic DNA strands include a chip with decoding instructions for data reassembly in 250 years.
Executive Summary
The Library of Congress is utilizing synthetic DNA as a method for preserving digital copies of historical collection items for 250 years, as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. This project involves converting selected digital data into synthesized DNA strands encased in metal vials. The research, conducted in collaboration with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information Systems Lab, focuses on storing information with high density and durability.
The synthetic DNA material is designed to replicate the information density of natural DNA, capable of storing approximately nine terabytes in one cubic millimeter, offering vastly superior capacity compared to conventional digital storage methods. The stored data includes digitized versions of historical documents such as Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence drafts, lyrics for "The Star-Spangled Banner," and congressional proceedings from 1789 to 1824.
The process involves encasing these DNA strands within a small chip containing decoding instructions to ensure the data can be reconstructed when the time capsule is opened in 2276. The physical time capsule itself, a 900-pound cylinder and bell jar, was ceremonially buried in Philadelphia on July 4th.
Full Take
The narrative presents the integration of advanced molecular storage technology with historical preservation efforts, framing this as a monumental achievement in safeguarding national heritage. The core mechanism relies on shifting from conventional digital storage to synthetic DNA for archival longevity. This choice implies an assumption that biological systems, specifically DNA, represent the ultimate stable medium against temporal decay, suggesting a paradigm where informational persistence is fundamentally linked to biological structure rather than engineered hardware lifespan.
The juxtaposition of high-stakes historical artifacts (like the Declaration of Independence) with cutting-edge molecular science creates a compelling bridge between the past and the future. The focus on synthetic DNA's density suggests an underlying belief that data compression and permanence are achievable through radically different physical substrates, positioning this innovation as an inevitable progression rather than a specific technological choice.
The implication for agency lies in who controls the encoding instructions and access mechanisms across millennia. If knowledge is stored in these synthetic strands, questions arise about accessibility and interpretation 250 years hence—who maintains the decoding technology? The narrative moves from verifiable historical facts to speculative future permanence, demanding reflection on the ethics of creating ultra-long-term informational artifacts.
Bridge Questions: What ethical frameworks must be established now regarding access protocols for data stored in synthetic biological substrates spanning centuries? How does the emphasis on physical durability in DNA storage shift our understanding of what constitutes 'information' versus 'data'? What societal structures are required to manage a knowledge base that is fundamentally encoded across biological time scales?