Useful before
you believe anything.

Find the next paper.

Build a transparent query and open the original research indexes.

Search results open at the provider. They have not been screened by Death X. Dates apply to publications, not our review date.

How much DNA?

Estimate the number of nucleotides needed to encode a digital file under explicit assumptions.

Nucleotides = MB × 1,000,000 × 8 ÷ effective bits per nucleotide × copies. Round up to a whole nucleotide per copy before multiplying by copies. The example rate is an assumption that includes coding overhead. This is not a cost, durability or biological-memory estimate. Read the storage research

Size a recorded life.

Estimate storage for photos, recordings and other files. Adjust the assumptions to match your actual media.

Decimal GB/TB. Excludes version history, transcoding, indexes and future growth. Three copies here is an editable example, not a preservation guarantee.

Can the archive outlast
its first custodian?

A practical checklist inspired by digital-preservation and biobanking guidance.

Saved only in this browser. A planning aid, not certification. NDSA guidance · NCI governance

Make a fingerprint.

Calculate a SHA-256 checksum to record a file’s exact bytes. The file stays on this device.

Recalculate later and compare with your trusted original checksum. A match verifies byte equality, not provenance, authorship or scientific validity. Read about integrity manifests

Test the claim
against the source.

Explore nine claims across the Archive, Culture, Grove, Reef and memory research. Each assessment links to its evidence and states what remains unresolved.