Scientists have begun to plan for repopulation, starting with a sperm bank – on the moon.
In what they call a “modern global insurance policy,” mechanical engineers have proposed that humans set up a repository of reproductive cells – sperm and eggs – for 6.7 million species of the Earth, including humans.
And the proposed bank, or “ark,” is said to be below the lunar surface.
As our planet faces natural disasters, droughts, asteroids, and the potential for nuclear war – just to name a few – scientists say humans need to set their sights on space travel to preserve life as we know it.
“Earth is by nature a volatile environment,” said study author Jekan Thanga, whose team at the University of Arizona has submitted their report, “Lunar Pits and Lava Tubes for a Modern Ark,” to the annual Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. (IEEE). Aerospace Conference on Saturday.
Because of the planet’s instability, he said, an Earth-based repository would make specimens vulnerable. As such, Thanga proposed initiating some sort of planetary exodus by establishing a human seed vault on the moon as soon as possible. It would store reproductive cells in recently discovered “wells” on the moon that scientists believe lava once flowed billions of years ago.
According to Thanga’s presentation, the so-called “ark” would preserve different types of cryogen in the event of a global disaster. “We can still save them until technology progresses and then reintroduce these strains – in other words, save them for another day,” he said.
According to Thanga, the wells are also the perfect size for cell storage. They descend 80 to 100 meters underground and “provide ready-to-use shelter from the surface of the moon,” which withstands “wide temperature fluctuations” as well as threats from meteorites and radiation.
Thanga said many plants and animals are “ critically endangered, ” citing the eruption of Mount Toba in Indonesia 75,000 years ago as a cause for concern, saying it “ caused a 1,000-year cooling-off period and some say corresponds to an estimated decline. in human diversity. “He sees a contemporary parallel” because of human activity and other factors we don’t fully understand, “he said, adding that” there have already been rapid losses in recent decades. “
The ‘ark’ concept is already being used in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault – where plant seeds are housed, that is – on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic Circle, where scientists say the massive stone structure can endure undisturbed by humans or the elements. There are over 992,000 unique samples, each with an average of 500 seeds.
Thanga added that he was “surprised” by how “cost effective” the mission could be, according to his “back of an envelope” estimates. To transport 50 samples each [6.7 million target] species would need 250 missile launches. In comparison, it took 40 launches to build the International Space Station, which is in low Earth orbit – much closer than the Moon.
“It’s not crazy big,” Thanga insisted. “We were a little surprised about that.”