A Jane Austen quote encoded in plastic molecules demonstrates the potential for a new kind of data storage

By Thomas Swift, Lecturer in Polymer Chemistry, University of Bradford

The words “if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another” were originally published in 1814 in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. At the time, the words were printed using revolutionary steam-powered printers that could roll through over a thousand sheets of paper an hour.

Since the early 2000s, it’s been possible to read all of Jane Austen’s works online, including Mansfield Park. But as of this year, the list of places her words are…

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