Radical Plan To Save Endangered Species Seen as a ‘Cosmic Noah’s Ark’

The concept involves placing the DNA of threatened animals in a vault on the moon’s surface.

NASA on The Commons, via Wikimedia Commons
Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon, December 7, 1972. The research underscores the potential of ancient microbial colonies to provide insights into the early evolution of life on Earth. NASA on The Commons, via Wikimedia Commons

Alarmed by the increasing number of species facing extinction, a team of scientists believes the solution to this crisis might be found not on Earth, but on the moon, more than 230,000 miles away.

In a bold proposal published in the journal BioScience, researchers from the Smithsonian and an international cohort suggest moving the DNA of at-risk species off-planet to preserve them from potential global calamities. Their idea? A “cosmic Noah’s Ark” that would store DNA samples in a lunar vault.

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