Researchers Want To Build A Vault On The Moon To Hold Some Of Earth’s Most At-Risk Animal Species
In the long history of our planet, countless species have gone extinct, and many more are facing the same threat.
To protect Earth’s biodiversity, a team of researchers has proposed the idea of building a lunar biorepository, which is essentially a vault on the Moon.
The proposal is being led by Dr. Mary Hagedorn of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
The aim is to create a “passive, long-lasting storage facility” to hold some of Earth’s most at-risk animal species.
The samples will be cryopreserved, a process that preserves biological materials by freezing them at low temperatures.
The Moon is an ideal place for the plan, as it contains naturally cold regions near the poles that never see sunlight. In those areas, the temperatures always remain below -321 degrees Fahrenheit.
This allows the samples to be stored for an extensive period of time without human intervention or power supplies, which are two factors that Earth-based repositories require to keep running.
On Earth, vaults are built in stable areas that are difficult to access. It reduces danger but does not eliminate it altogether.
For example, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault had to be refurbished after the surrounding permafrost thawed unexpectedly, causing water to leak into the entrance tunnel.
Hande – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
A facility on the Moon is protected from events that usually occur on Earth, such as natural disasters, climate change, and geopolitical conflicts. Since the Moon has such a thin atmosphere that acts like a vacuum, weather isn’t an issue.
For the development of the lunar biorepository, the focus would be on cryopreserving animal skin with fibroblast cells.
Clones can be produced from fibroblasts. The researchers have already begun to work with samples of the starry goby (Asterropteryx semipunctata), a species of reef fish. More species will soon follow.
One of the challenges the team must address when it comes to building a viable vault on the Moon is transportation. The packaging to hold samples must be designed to withstand travel through space.
Another challenge is the question of how to protect the samples from the effects of radiation. Finally, establishing governance frameworks over the facility will be a complex affair as well.
The researchers call for nations and agencies around the globe to collaborate with each other to see the project through.
Moving forward, the team will work on expanding partnerships and conducting further tests on Earth and on the International Space Station. Although there will be many challenges to overcome, the researchers emphasize the importance of taking action.
“Because of myriad anthropogenic drivers, a high proportion of species and ecosystems face destabilization and extinction threats that are accelerating faster than our ability to save these species in their natural environment,” wrote the authors.
The study was published in BioScience.
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