Creating a Lunar Biorepository to protect Earth's biodiversity

Creating a Lunar Biorepository to protect Earth's biodiversity
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 01, 2024

An international team of scientists has proposed a novel solution to safeguard the planet's biodiversity amid the growing extinction crisis: a biorepository on the Moon. Detailed in the journal BioScience, this plan aims to establish a passive, long-term storage facility for cryopreserved samples of the world's most endangered animal species.

Dr. Mary Hagedorn from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute leads the team. They suggest utilizing the Moon's consistently cold temperatures, especially in permanently shadowed areas near the poles, where temperatures remain below -196 degrees Celsius.

These conditions are optimal for storing biological samples over the long term without needing human intervention or power, both of which are critical vulnerabilities for Earth-based repositories. Additionally, a lunar facility would be safeguarded from natural disasters, climate change, and geopolitical conflicts that pose threats on Earth.

The initial phase of the lunar biorepository project will focus on cryopreserving animal skin samples with fibroblast cells. Protocols are already being developed using the Starry Goby (Asterropteryx semipunctata) as a model species, with plans to include other species later. The researchers also intend to utilize the U.S. National Science Foundation's National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) for fibroblast cell development.

Challenges to this initiative include creating durable packaging for space transport, mitigating radiation exposure, and setting up international governance frameworks for the repository. The authors emphasize the necessity of global cooperation among nations, agencies, and international stakeholders to bring this extensive project to fruition. The next steps involve expanding partnerships with space research agencies and conducting further tests both on Earth and aboard the International Space Station.

Despite the hurdles, the researchers stress the urgency of this project: "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."

Research Report:Safeguarding earth's biodiversity by creating a lunar biorepository