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My story happens in basically our real world stretched here and there, much like Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Of course, my story world also has some kind of rare elements of alien origin, that have landed on earth brought by a meteorite. But this material of mine is some kind of crystal.

This exquisite crystal is not alive in definition, but it has a double helix structure like our DNA, and can store memories much like natural hard drive. The memories can be accessed and written by intelligent brains (human and alien even mammals) by being in contact/close proximity with the material when the brain entered certain brain wavelength (alpha/beta state when in meditation or deep sleep). Its structure also can withstand hundreds of thousand years without deteriorating.

So, what is the closest thing natural materials found today to this unobtainium crystal? Also, what is the most possible thing that fills it double helix structure that can store information considering protein cant survive on that long period of time?

Plus point: Even better if the answer explains that the material can retain its power when it is on the liquid form.

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    $\begingroup$ Why a double helix? The doubke helix of DNA is a by-product of the way the nucleotides bond, nit a neccessary precondition for information storage. You can have any sort of repetitive structure. --- Any memory transfer using only 'natural' emanations is pure nonsense, disregarding what memories are, what brainwaves are, and how they interact with matter. Your car gives off sounds, but you cannot infer it's VIN from that, nor will a bowl of jelly held near 'record' any semblance of it $\endgroup$
    – bukwyrm
    Commented Jun 27, 2018 at 5:37
  • $\begingroup$ memory isn't stored in DNA $\endgroup$
    – user45032
    Commented Jun 27, 2018 at 12:06
  • $\begingroup$ I think the only remote possibility for this is a silica-based life form that resembles a crystal. I might post an answer upon further thought, but for now this is too skeletal. $\endgroup$
    – SealBoi
    Commented Jun 27, 2018 at 16:21

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You're going to want some handwavium crystals.

What you're asking for does not exist. "Natural hard drives" do not exist; our brains don't work that way. "Accessing and writing" by being in close proximity/touching via brain waves is pure hocum.

Your third paragraph is nonsense; double helix structures simply don't exist in natural materials.

No plus point for you since rocks don't have magic powers, and therefore neither would liquid rocks.

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  • $\begingroup$ "double helix structures simply don't exist in natural materials" I think you might mean minerals, as DNA is definitely a natural material $\endgroup$
    – user45032
    Commented Jun 27, 2018 at 12:06
  • $\begingroup$ @Orangesandlemons That's a terminology issue. The way I see it, DNA is comprised of natural materials, but is itself a biological construct and not actually something "natural". $\endgroup$
    – Aify
    Commented Jun 27, 2018 at 16:32
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You can forget the not alive line unless you want magic involved.

You'd want a silicone based lifeform capable of a telepathic link. The thing is symbiotic creature in the form of a crystal storing memories and skills for it's owner kinda like an USB harddrive.

Being so useful, the owner would protect it. The liquid form is it's reproductive cycle. It breaks down to a liquid and then forms two or more smaller crystals.

Still a heap of handwavium......

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You want something with a double helix, capable of storing information, capable of read/write access, and durable for thousands of years.

You got that. It is DNA.

DNA fulfills all of these criteria. It performs long term data storage and is extremely durable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_DNA

The tricky thing here is not your storage medium. Any kind of data you want can be stored as DNA. You could store the works of Shakespeare. The tricky thing is your read/write access that allows memories to be stored this way. If you wanted you storage medium to be optically readable scratches in a plastic or glass substrate we have that too. The technology for translating thoughts into recordable data is what we do not have.

What you need to handwave up is some hybrid transcription / translation apparatus sensitive to thoughts. You can have your psionic crystal engineered into some DNA polymerase.

I like the idea that individual thoughts or memories translate out as RNA - easier to access than the main record and less durable, so they do not lay around cluttering up the place.

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