Data compression

Data compression is the process of reducing the amount of space needed to store or transmit information by removing redundancy and encoding it more efficiently, much like how a ZIP file shrinks a folder of documents. In scientific research, compression allows scientists to work with enormous datasets from sources like climate models, genetic sequencing, or space telescopes without needing impossibly large storage systems or slow download times. By making data smaller while preserving the essential information, compression accelerates discovery and collaboration across laboratories and institutions worldwide.