In 'Noah's Ark,' Earth's Endangered Species Could Be Sent To The Moon To Prevent Extinction.

To shield endangered species from impending global disasters, scientists are putting forth a novel plan to store their DNA on the moon.
'Noah's Ark' might send Earth's endangered species to the moon in order to save them from extinction.
According to the scientists, having a second base on the moon would be a wise precaution.


Scientists have revealed an ambitious plan to store the DNA of endangered species on the moon in an attempt to protect them from potentially catastrophic events on Earth. Should these species become extinct on Earth, the hypothetical lunar "Noah's Ark" would provide a fallback for their conservation.

As per the Oxford Academic journal BioScience article, scientists suggest that establishing a second base on the moon would serve as a prudent precautionary measure in addition to the current one on Earth.

Because the north and south poles of the moon have ice, which may aid in the establishment of a human colony there, NASA is also interested in these locations.

Researchers at institutions such as the Smithsonian and Harvard are developing methods for collecting samples from endangered species on Earth, freezing them, and then delivering them to the moon. Protocols are currently being developed for this space storage project, with the starry goby fish species acting as the first.


Two challenges are controlling the high radiation levels in orbit and guaranteeing sample safety throughout spaceflight. Current biorepositories, like the one in Svalbard, Norway, are designed to withstand threats from Earth, but the Moon's extreme cold offers a stable climate that might not need a power source, making it the ideal location for this contingency plan.


A biorepository of this kind would protect biodiversity and serve as a buffer against its disappearance due to natural disasters, climate change, population growth, resource depletion, wars, socioeconomic threats, and other Earthly causes, the scientists write.

"Using fibroblast cells to cryopreserve animal skin samples will be our primary goal."