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Nature Nanotechnology 3, 380–381 (1 July 2008) | doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.192

Surface patterning: Ancients inspire modern memory

J. Marty Gregg

Even in Palaeolithic times, people used stencils to help with data storage. Throughout the world, spray-painted stencils of human hands on the walls of caves have recorded who was there and acted as signatures for those who were responsible for the art on the walls (Fig.