Genetic samples of Hawaiian fish will fly to the moon. It's a start

Scientists from the Smithsonian Institution in the United States have prepared a plan to protect the Earth's endangered biodiversity. They want to create a biorepository on the Moon, where frozen genetic samples would be stored, initially of the most endangered animals on Earth, and ultimately of as many of all species living on the Blue Planet as possible. The authors of the study emphasize that the temperature in the permanently shadowed craters of the Moon is so low that cryopreservation of samples would not require the use of electricity or liquid nitrogen. In the cryopreservation process, animal cells or tissues (including human cells) are usually stored at the boiling point of liquid nitrogen, i.e. -196 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, all biological activity ceases, including biochemical reactions leading to cell death. This technology is used, among others, to freeze sperm, egg cells or embryos created during the in vitro procedure.

At the Marine Biology Institute in Hawaii, researchers froze samples taken from several individuals of the species Asteropteryx semipunctata. It's common a fish of the goby family found on coral reefs around Hawaii. Their fins contain easily cryopreserved fibroblasts, or skin cells, which are the primary material stored in the biorepository at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington. The researchers noted that in the case of species that do not have skin, such as invertebrates, individuals can be frozen at various stages of development, such as larvae.

The tissues of the fish, which are about eight centimeters long, will be tested to see, for example, how they will be affected by radiation on the moon – 200 to 1,000 times stronger than on Earth – or by microgravity. The results of the work will be used, among other things, to develop packaging in which the samples would be delivered to the biorepository. Later, the researchers plan to send the samples to the International Space Station.

– Initially, the lunar biorepository would contain biological material from the most endangered terrestrial species. Our ultimate goal, however, is to cryopreserve most species on Earth, said Dr. Mary Hagedorn, a marine biologist, cryobiologist and lead author of the paper.

The researchers were inspired by the experiences of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. This institution stores frozen seeds of over a million edible plants from around the world. Because the bank is located in a tunnel dug in the permafrost to a depth of about 120 meters underground, its creators believed that the frozen samples could survive even in the event of a power failure. However, in 2017, the seed collection began to be flooded with water from the melting permafrost. Although the danger was averted and the Global Seed Vault building was sealed, it turned out that climate change is a threat even to centers in the Far North. – Seeds are stored at a relatively easy to obtain and maintain temperature of about -18 degrees Celsius, but cryopreservation of animal cells at a temperature of -196 degrees Celsius requires constant provision of electricity and supplies of liquid nitrogen, as well as continuous work of staff. Each of these three elements is potentially susceptible to disruptions that could destroy the entire collection, Dr. Hagedorn explained. She added that this is why work has been undertaken on methods of passively maintaining the temperature necessary for cryopreservation of samples. And since such a low temperature does not occur naturally on Earth, scientists thought about the Moon.

Deep craters near the Moon's poles are never illuminated by sunlight, and the temperature there is around -240 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, storing containers with samples would not require additional procedures or infrastructure. However, cosmic radiation would pose a threat to the DNA of tissues on the Silver Globe. Therefore, the authors of the study want to check, among other things, whether it would be possible to create a bank of biological material under the surface of the Moon or in thick-walled bunkers built from local rocks.

“If life on Earth is completely destroyed, this biorepository will be irrelevant. But it can help offset the effects of natural disasters and increase the possibilities of space travel. It's a different approach to protecting Earth's biodiversity. And life is precious and – as far as we know – rare in the universe,” Dr. Hagedorn said.