A group of scientists reaches for the stars and proposes an innovative way to secure Earth’s dwindling biodiversity in the midst of increasing extinction rates.
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With thousands of species facing extinction, scientists are racing to secure the biodiversity of our planet for future generations. Yet unpredictable environmental threats are putting even biorepositories, the facilities that store frozen biological samples, in jeopardy, forcing a solution outside the box… and out of this world.
In July, a group of researchers collaborated on and pitched a bold plan to take advantage of the unique location and the consistently low temperature of the moon’s southern pole.
In an article published in the journal BioScience, they proposed the construction of a passive lunar biorepository, which would require minimal human involvement and would not depend on generating a supply of electricity.
“Ours is a backup plan,” said Lynne Parenti, a research scientist who is working on the project. “The plants and animals that live on Earth are going extinct faster than we can save them. It is a crisis.”
Other sites already exist to ensure that seeds or the genetic material of plants and animals, which are going extinct at a rate hundreds of times higher than in the past, are preserved.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, the most extensive seed storage in the world, was the inspiration for creating the passive lunar biorepository. Svalbard is an example of global commitment to protecting crop diversity, the basis of our world’s food supply.
The Arctic vault is passive, preserving the seeds at minus 18 C (minus 0.4 F) because of the natural temperature of the surrounding permafrost. Unfortunately, climate change threatens the repository’s durability — a problem that does not arise on the moon because of its extremely thin atmosphere.
At first, the lunar biorepository would house cryopreserved (deeply frozen) samples of endangered species or species that would be necessary to rebuild ecosystems on Earth. The hope is that the collection of samples would eventually expand beyond animal samples.
“Think of it as a museum that you are constantly collecting for and building,” Mary Hagedorn, a research scientist who is working on this program, said.
One problem with cataloguing animal samples is that doing so with most wildlife is challenging.
While scientists know how to cryopreserve human cells, such as sperm and embryos, this is not true for all wildlife.
However, scientists have developed a systematic method by gathering samples of skin cells, which is generally easier. The scientists clipped fins from the starry goby, a reef fish in Hawaii, as a model species for the project that is already proving to be an ideal prototype to cryopreserve testicular stem cells.
Skin cells contain a type of cell called fibroblasts that can be transformed into other cells, e.g., stem cells, which can have the potential characteristics of embryonic or testicular cells. In addition, scientists already know how to cryopreserve fibroblast cells, giving them uniform material to work with and establishing a standardized system.
One of the problems with this method of preservation is that the long-term storage of these cells requires a constant temperature of minus 196 C (minus 320.8 F).
Fortunately, both the moon’s poles have craters that never receive any sunlight and, therefore, remain at a constant temperature cold enough for long-term storage of the samples.
Even though the moon is the best candidate, obstacles remain. It is not only impossible for humans to operate at these low temperatures, but also difficult even for robots and other machinery.
Another potential problem is the radiation threatening the samples during their journey through space and the arrival at their new home. Extensive testing needs to take place with concern for the packaging materials and the viability of the cells after their journey. Additionally, time and money requirements pose challenges to this decade-long project; the initial fundraising target is in the ballpark of $5 million.
“Even if we get the money, it may take longer to get everybody in agreement,” said Hagedorn. There are, she admits, a broad range of cultural and societal issues to be considered.
Furthermore, the scientists also want to take into account the sensibilities of all stakeholders.
In January, Astrobotics, a private space logistics company, launched Peregrine Mission One, which aimed to carry human remains and deposit them on the moon. The Navajo Nation asked for the mission to be delayed because the moon is sacred in their culture. The Navajo viewed it as disrespectful to use the moon as a gravesite. The company disregarded the Navajo Nation’s plea and went ahead with the mission, which ended up failing.
One issue was the lack of communication and consideration for how depositing cremains would affect other cultures and peoples. Hagedorn wants to avoid an incident like that, intending this to be a collective process and conversation, learning more about different views and relationships to the moon. It’s about the re-creation of life, and all voices should be included.
“We envision that the Lunar Biorepository would be governed very much like Svalbard. There will be an international governing body with global partnerships,” said Parenti.
This project will be a collective effort to include different cultures, countries, and specializations to conserve life and Earth’s biodiversity. There are a lot of nuances and complexities around the cultural sensitivities of the moon; Hagedorn is concerned about at least getting a green light from groups that have advocated the moon’s sacredness in the past.
Hagedorn said, “We need more people around the world, we need more voices, we need different voices than just scientists and engineers.”
The project’s next step is fundraising and writing grants because its creators hope to earn a spot on the Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission 1 or a future lunar mission, a process that requires the researchers to devise packaging for the samples and a way of testing how much radiation would inhabit the inside and outside of the box. The mission aims to determine how much radiation resides in the boxes and how it will affect or damage the cells. After calculating an amount, the samples on Earth will be subjected to that amount of radiation and tested for abnormalities.
This story was written by a member of our Mentor Apprentice Program (MAP). It gives aspiring journalists an opportunity to hone their craft while covering national and international news under the tutelage of seasoned reporters and editors. You can learn more about the MAP and how you can support our efforts to safeguard the future of journalism here.
