USFWS Is Creating a Frozen Library of Biodiversity To Help Endangered Species (insideclimatenews.org) 12
Kiley Price writes via Inside Climate News: In a new initiative announced on Tuesday, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is working with the nonprofit Revive & Restore and other partners to create a "genetic library" of the country's endangered species -- before it's too late. Through a process called biobanking, FWS field staff are gathering biological samples such as blood, tissues and reproductive cells from animals to be cryogenically preserved at extremely low temperatures (at least -256 degrees Fahrenheit) and stored at a USDA facility in Colorado. The samples will also be genetically sequenced and this information will be uploaded to a publicly available database called GenBank, where researchers can study them and compare their genomes to other members of their species.
that looks right (Score:3)
Preserving data a very long time is hard, but cryogenically storing originals plus sequencing the genes and different groups storing copies of the database in at least three different countries looks like a good start. It could avoid most fat fingered deletes.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The Chill Way to Save Endangered Species (Score:3)
Human (Score:2)
Better add a human to that list. Our days are numbered. :)
Dr. Evil (Score:2)
Are they starting with placing the frozen Dr. Evil into Earth orbit?
Re: (Score:1)
Optimism (Score:3)
Will future humans even give a shit? The way things are going I don't know.
Forty years late (Score:2)
Seriously, done better elsewhere.
\o/ (Score:1)
Noah's Ark ftw!
typical human morality (Score:2)
nice sentiment, but pointless