New research led by scientists at the Smithsonian proposes a plan to safeguard Earth’s imperiled biodiversity by cryogenically preserving biological material on the moon.

The moon’s permanently shadowed craters are cold enough for cryogenic preservation without the need for electricity or liquid nitrogen, according to the researchers. 

The paper, published today in BioScience and written in collaboration with researchers from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and others, outlines a roadmap to create a lunar biorepository.

The paper includes ideas for governance, the types of biological material to be stored and a plan for experiments to understand and address challenges such as radiation and microgravity. The study also demonstrates the successful cryopreservation of skin samples from a fish, which are now stored at the National Museum of Natural History. 

“Initially, a lunar biorepository would target the most at-risk species on Earth today, but our ultimate goal would be to cryopreserve most species on Earth,” said Mary Hagedorn, a research cryobiologist at NZCBI and lead author of the paper in a statement,

Global Seed Vault model

The proposal was inspired by the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway, which contains more than 1 million frozen seed varieties 400 feet underground and functions as a backup for the world’s crop biodiversity in case of global disaster. However, in 2017, thawing permafrost threatened the collection with a flood of meltwater. The seed vault has since been waterproofed, but the incident showed that even an Arctic subterranean bunker could be vulnerable to climate change. 

Cryopreservation storage temperatures

Unlike seeds, animal cells require much lower storage temperatures for preservation (-320 degrees Fahrenheit or -196 degrees Celsius). On Earth, cryopreservation of animal cells requires a supply of liquid nitrogen, electricity and human staff potentially vulnerable to disruptions that could destroy an entire collection, Hagedorn said.

To reduce these vulnerabilities, scientists needed a way to passively maintain cryopreservation storage temperatures. Since such cold temperatures do not naturally exist on Earth, Hagedorn and her co-authors looked to the moon. 

Moon’s polar regions: ideal for cryopreservation storage

The moon’s polar regions feature numerous craters that never receive sunlight due to their orientation and depth. These “permanently shadowed regions” can be −410 degrees Fahrenheit (−246 degrees Celsius)—more than cold enough for passive cryopreservation storage. To block out the DNA-damaging radiation present in space, samples could be stored underground or inside a structure with thick walls made of moon rocks. 

Fibroblasts cryopreserved easily

At the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, the research team cryopreserved skin samples from a reef fish called the starry goby. The fins contain a type of skin cell called fibroblasts, the primary material to be stored in the National Museum of Natural History’s biorepository.

The team says fibroblasts have several advantages over other types of commonly cryopreserved cells such as sperm, eggs and embryos. Science cannot yet reliably preserve the sperm, eggs and embryos of most wildlife species. However, for many species, fibroblasts can be cryopreserved easily. In addition, fibroblasts can be collected from an animal’s skin, which is simpler than harvesting eggs or sperm. For species that do not have skin per se, such as invertebrates, Hagedorn said the team may use a diversity of types of samples depending on the species, including larvae and other reproductive materials.   

The next steps are to begin a series of radiation exposure tests for the cryopreserved fibroblasts on Earth to help design packaging that could safely deliver samples to the moon. The team is actively seeking partners and support to conduct additional experiments on Earth and aboard the International Space Station. Such experiments would provide robust testing for the prototype packaging’s ability to withstand the radiation and microgravity associated with space travel and storage on the moon. 

“We aren’t saying what if the Earth fails—if the Earth is biologically destroyed this biorepository won’t matter,” Hagedorn said. “This is meant to help offset natural disasters and, potentially, to augment space travel. Life is precious and, as far as we know, rare in the universe. This biorepository provides another, parallel approach to conserving Earth’s precious biodiversity.”    

Citation: Mary Hagedorn, Smithsonian National Zoological Park Library, Lynne Parenti, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Robert A. Craddock, Smithsonian Institution, Pierre Comizzoli, Smithsonian National Zoological Park Library, Paula Mabee, National Ecological Observatory Network, Bonnie Meinke, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Susan M. Wolf, University of Minnesota, John Bischof, University of Minnesota. Rebecca Sandlin, Harvard Medical School, Shannon N. Tessier, Harvard Medical School, Mehmet Toner, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Safeguarding Earth’s Biodiversity By Creating a Lunar Biorepository. BioScience, Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae058

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