MOON SPERM BANK? Scientists have plan if disaster strikes Earth
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ostmedia News
Publishing date:Mar 12, 2021 • 8 minutes ago • 1 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
This file photo taken June 10, 2019, shows the moon in the sky above Mandalay city in central Myanmar.
This file photo taken June 10, 2019, shows the moon in the sky above Mandalay city in central Myanmar. PHOTO BY YE AUNG THU /AFP via Getty Images / Files
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Will there come a time for humans to escape the Earth and settle on the Moon?
Scientists and researchers from the University of Arizona have an ambitious plan for that, and it starts with the idea of a bank or “ark” containing sperm, eggs, seeds and spores of our planet’s 6.7 million species of animals and plants.
The team presented the paper, titled Lunar Pits and Lava Tubes for a Modern Ark, at the IEEE Aerospace Conference over the weekend as a “modern global insurance policy” in the event of a crisis or disaster, according to the New York Post.
“Earth faces probability of peril from various natural disasters and human threats such as global nuclear war that could wipe out a large number of species in a short time,” writes study author Jekan Thanga, an assistant professor at the school’s aerospace and mechanical engineering department.
He points out that lunar lava tubes were discovered in 2013 and are likely to be in pristine condition after billions of years, which would make an excellent shelter for the samples.
The samples would be cryogenically frozen and stored in a modern-day Noah’s Ark while safely housed below the lunar surface, away from the harsh elements of space.
Thanga realizes the out-of-this-world idea will not be an easy task.
“Our research shows that new technologies are (needed) to make this initiative possible,” he notes. “It will require substantial investments and advances in robotics to operate under cryo-conditions.”
nypost.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article
ostmedia NewsPublishing date:Mar 12, 2021 • 8 minutes ago • 1 minute read • comment bubbleJoin the conversation
This file photo taken June 10, 2019, shows the moon in the sky above Mandalay city in central Myanmar.
This file photo taken June 10, 2019, shows the moon in the sky above Mandalay city in central Myanmar. PHOTO BY YE AUNG THU /AFP via Getty Images / Files
Article content
Will there come a time for humans to escape the Earth and settle on the Moon?
Scientists and researchers from the University of Arizona have an ambitious plan for that, and it starts with the idea of a bank or “ark” containing sperm, eggs, seeds and spores of our planet’s 6.7 million species of animals and plants.
The team presented the paper, titled Lunar Pits and Lava Tubes for a Modern Ark, at the IEEE Aerospace Conference over the weekend as a “modern global insurance policy” in the event of a crisis or disaster, according to the New York Post.
“Earth faces probability of peril from various natural disasters and human threats such as global nuclear war that could wipe out a large number of species in a short time,” writes study author Jekan Thanga, an assistant professor at the school’s aerospace and mechanical engineering department.
He points out that lunar lava tubes were discovered in 2013 and are likely to be in pristine condition after billions of years, which would make an excellent shelter for the samples.
The samples would be cryogenically frozen and stored in a modern-day Noah’s Ark while safely housed below the lunar surface, away from the harsh elements of space.
Thanga realizes the out-of-this-world idea will not be an easy task.
“Our research shows that new technologies are (needed) to make this initiative possible,” he notes. “It will require substantial investments and advances in robotics to operate under cryo-conditions.”
Scientists want to send 6.7M sperm samples to the moon
Scientists call is a “modern global insurance policy.”
nypost.com
MOON SPERM BANK? Scientists have plan if disaster strikes Earth
Will there come a time for humans to escape the Earth and settle on the Moon?
