Inside the Plan to Freeze and Store Cells From Endangered Species on the Moon As a Lifeboat Against Extinction

With numerous species facing extinction, an international team of researchers has proposed a radical solution to protect the planet’s biodiversity: a lunar biorepository. This concept, detailed in BioScience, aims to create a passive, long-lasting storage facility for cryopreserved samples of Earth’s most at-risk animal species.

Led by Mary Hagedorn of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, the team envisions leveraging the Moon’s naturally cold temperatures. The Moon’s permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near the poles maintain temperatures consistently below  –321 degrees Fahrenheit (–196 degrees Celsius), ideal for the long-term storage of biological samples.

This passive storage reduces the dependency on power supplies and mitigates risks associated with temperature fluctuations and potential thawing events that can compromise the integrity of the samples.

The proposed lunar biorepository would focus initially on cryopreserving animal skin samples with fibroblast cells. These cells, crucial for regenerating tissues, have been successfully used in previous cryopreservation protocols. The Starry Goby fish, a common reef fish, has been chosen for experimenting with these protocols. Plans to include other species could follow depending on the Starry Goby results.

The research team plans to expand their work by utilizing the continental-scale sampling currently underway at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). NEON collects a wide variety of samples that can be used to develop fibroblast cells for the biorepository.

How will all of this work?

The process begins with cryopreserving fibroblast samples from the Starry Goby. The samples will then be tested in Earth-based laboratories to ensure robust packaging and resistance to radiation. Following successful Earth-based trials, the samples will be sent to the International Space Station (ISS) for further testing under space conditions. Ultimately, the goal is to store these samples in a lunar biorepository, ensuring their preservation for future generations.

Should a species go extinct on Earth, these cryopreserved samples could serve as a genetic reservoir. Advanced biotechnological techniques could potentially revive these species, reintroducing them into their natural habitats or newly protected areas. For example, fibroblast cells from skin samples, which are versatile and can be induced to become pluripotent stem cells, could be cultured and used in cloning efforts to resurrect extinct species.

But there are many ifs here. Although some are currently pursuing resurrecting extinct species, including an effort to create a wholly mammoth hybrid using ancient DNA and elephant surrogates, no one has ever been successful so far.

Creating a lunar biorepository presents several challenges. First, scientists must develop a robust packaging to ensure that samples can withstand the rigors of space travel and long-term storage on the Moon. This involves designing containers that can maintain ultra-low temperatures and protect the samples from the harsh space environment.

Secondly, addressing the effects of radiation on the samples is another critical challenge that must be tackled. The lunar environment exposes the samples to higher levels of cosmic and solar radiation than Earth.

The paper notes antioxidant cocktails and protease inhibitors could address this issue. These are sometimes used together during the cryopreservation process to combat the effects of radiation, reducing oxidative stress and cell death. Physical barriers such as water, lead, cement, regolith, and newly developed materials can also block radiation.

The logistics of transporting biomaterials into PSRs and maintaining them at liquid nitrogen temperatures are challenging but feasible, assuming future lunar missions can deploy these experiments.

Another significant challenge is establishing an international governance framework for the repository. This framework would need to address ownership, access, and long-term management of the stored biological materials. The authors suggest that the governance model could be similar to that of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, overseen by an international advisory panel representing various stakeholders.

To realize this decades-long program, the authors call for broad collaboration among nations, agencies, and international stakeholders. Immediate steps include expanding partnerships, particularly with space research agencies, and conducting further testing on Earth and aboard the ISS.

The accelerating rate of species extinction due to human activity emphasizes the urgency of this initiative.

“Because of myriad anthropogenic drivers, a high proportion of species and ecosystems face destabilization and extinction threats that are accelerating faster than our ability to save these species in their natural environment,” the authors state.

The lunar biorepository is certainly an innovative approach to preserving Earth’s biodiversity. By safeguarding genetic material in a stable environment, we can protect some animals from extinction and support future space exploration and potential terraforming efforts. This initiative not only holds on to Earth’s genetic diversity but could also advance our understanding of cryobiology and space science for future planetary missions.