Scientists from the University of Arizona have proposed an ark, called a ‘modern world insurance policy’ for 6.7 million species from Earth, which is cryogenically preserved and hidden in a series of caves and tunnels below the lunar surface.
They said the vault could protect the genetic materials in the event of ‘total destruction of the earth’ that could be caused by a major drop in biodiversity, but any step to build such a bunker is far.
“The earth is by nature a volatile environment,” researcher Jekan Thanga, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona College of Engineering, said in a statement.
“As humans, we had a call about 75,000 years ago with the Toba supervolcanic eruption, which caused a cooling-off period of 1,000 years and, according to some, corresponds to an estimated decline in human diversity. Because human civilization is like that.” has a large footprint, should it collapse, it could have a negative effect on the rest of the planet. ‘
Similar ‘doomsday safes’ exist on earth: The Global Seed Vault, home to just under 1 million seed samples, is located on a remote island on Svalbard, an archipelago between Norway and the North Pole.
In a paper presented earlier this month, the University of Arizona team thinks their concept could preserve life from Earth in the event of destruction of the planet we call home.
The researchers said the project depends on advances in cryo-robotics technology – in order to be preserved, the seeds must be cooled to minus 292 Fahrenheit, while stem cells must be stored at minus 320 Fahrenheit. But the team says that metal parts of the base could freeze, jam or cold weld at such temperatures.
Scientists still do not understand how a lack of gravity can affect the preserved seed, or how to communicate with a terrestrial base.
Experts discovered in 2013 a network of about 200 lava tubes below the lunar surface, which formed when streams of lava melted through soft rock and formed underground tunnels billions of years ago.
Scientists think the tubes are 100 meters (328 feet) in diameter – can provide the perfect shelter for the precious cargo and protect it from solar radiation, changes in surface temperatures and micrometeorites.
Powered by solar panels, the underground ark would be accessible by elevator shafts, which would lead to a facility in which cryogenic conservation modules were stored.
Scientists say that 250 rockets are needed to transport about 50 samples of each of 6.7 million species to the moon.
There are already plans to place another project on the moon.