US researchers have demonstrated it is possible to store 1000-bit digital images in the atoms of a single molecule.
A team working at the University of Oklahoma imprinted the image on hydrogen atoms in a liquid crystal molecule by subjecting it to an electromagnetic pulse containing 1,024 different radio frequencies.
Firing a second pulse with slightly shifted frequencies and measuring the changes allowed them to read back the information.
They say the technique - which they have called molecular photography - could lead to the possibility of packing large amounts of data into tiny spaces.
But researcher Mr Bing Fung told New Scientistthe work represents only "a very, very first step" towards this goal because the complex interaction of protons is little understood.
PA