A group of scientists has devised a plan to safeguard Earth’s species in a cryogenic biorepository on the moon.
Intended to save species in the event of a disaster on Earth, the plan makes use of craters that are permanently in shadow and therefore cold enough to allow cryogenic preservation of biological material without using electricity or liquid nitrogen, according to research from a group led by scientists at the Smithsonian, published last week.
The paper, published in the journal BioScience, draws on the successful cryopreservation of skin samples from a fish, and outlines a method for creating a biorepository that would keep samples of other species safe.
“Initially, a lunar biorepository would target the most at-risk species on Earth today, but our ultimate goal would be to cryopreserve most species on Earth,” said Mary Hagedorn, a research cryobiologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and lead author of the paper.
“We hope that by sharing our vision, our group can find additional partners to expand the conversation, discuss threats and opportunities and conduct the necessary research and testing to make this biorepository a reality.”
The idea of the lunar biorepository is inspired by the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, in Norway’s Arctic, which stores more than a million seed varieties with the aim of safeguarding crop diversity.
The vault was threatened by a flood of meltwater from thawing permafrost in 2017, highlighting the dangers posed by climate change, according to the statement.
Although plant cells can be stored in Arctic conditions, animal cells must be kept even colder, at least -320 F or -196 C, to be preserved.
In order to reach the required temperatures on Earth, a supply of liquid nitrogen, electricity and human staff are required.
But in the event of a global disaster, the supply of any of these three elements could be vulnerable, putting the mooted biorepository in danger.
To reduce this risk, Hagedorn and the team thought about how cryopreservation could be achieved passively, which is impossible on Earth, and alighted on the moon.
The lunar polar regions are home to craters that are in permanent shadow due to their orientation and depth, and can reach temperatures as low as -410 F (-246 C).
The team then considered how to block radiation that would damage the DNA of the samples, and propose storing them underground or inside a structure with walls made from lunar rocks. Further research is needed to study the effects of radiation exposure on cryopreserved samples, as well as the effects of microgravity, according to the statement.
“We aren’t saying what if the Earth fails – if the Earth is biologically destroyed this biorepository won’t matter,” Hagedorn said in the statement.
“This is meant to help offset natural disasters and, potentially, to augment space travel. Life is precious and, as far as we know, rare in the universe. This biorepository provides another, parallel approach to conserving Earth’s precious biodiversity,” she said.
Rob Brooker, head of ecological sciences at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland, who was not involved in the research, said the paper “is an interesting and provocative article that highlights the loss of Earth’s biodiversity and the critical need to increase our efforts for nature conservation.”
“However, a major concern is that the cost and effort involved in establishing such a resource on the moon would be very substantial, and would detract from ongoing conservation efforts including delivering existing international commitments and plans to protect nature,” Brooker told CNN.
Sally Keith, a senior lecturer in Marine Biology at Lancaster University, who was not involved in the research, had similar concerns.
“The broad approach offers an interesting thought experiment and might lead to innovative technological development, however, I am hard-pressed to see its use in the urgent fight to minimize rapid biodiversity loss,” she told CNN, adding: “How many forests, coral reefs and freshwater lakes could be better conserved right now, for the cost of launching a rocket to the moon?”