Scientists are working for years to find permanent settlements in space. But now they are planning to consider Moon as a storage unit for our invaluable resources.
Scientists have proposed to build a gene bank on the moon. Under this plan samples of cells, sperm, and eggs linked to the reproduction of 6.7 million different Earth species will be stored.
Researchers from the University of Arizona presented this idea at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Aerospace Conference. They believe that their proposal would protect mankind from extinction.
Modern global insurance policy
The lunar gene bank on the Moon is considered to be a “modern global insurance policy”. According to the scientists, by sending these on the moon, they could keep these specimens safe. So this project will help in preserving Earth’s genetic diversity in the event of a global catastrophe.
But this lunar gene bank is expected to be built in a hollow, cooled lava tube. Scientists want to send these samples to a solar-powered moon ark which would freeze and store them.
Thanga, a professor from Arizona College of Engineering, said, “Earth is naturally a volatile environment,”
“As humans, we had a close call about 75,000 years ago with the Toba supervolcanic eruption, which caused a 1,000-year cooling period and, according to some, aligns with an estimated drop in human diversity. Because human civilization has such a large footprint, if it were to collapse, that could have a negative cascading effect on the rest of the planet.”
