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Hannes Dempewolf, senior scientist of the Crop Trust, dedicated to conserving the diversity of food crops, tells Briggs: "Hitting the million mark is really significant. Such crop diversity is essential to safeguard against the potential impacts of climate change, giving scientists the best chance to ensure future generations to thrive. Researchers used about 90,000 seeds from the vault for the first time in 2015 after war in Syria caused damage to a seed bank near Aleppo, Frost writes. It now stores 1,059,646 deposits - from Estonian onion potato to barley used to brew Irish beer. The facility is 426 feet above sea level, according to Natasha Frost of Atlas Obscura, and is challenging to access on its far-flung, frosty island. In 1998, Norway spent $9 million to build the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in an abandoned coal mine, Diebel writes. New waterproof walls and reinforcements will now protect the vault against potential water damage. Though frosty seeds inside weren't harmed by the deluge, Matthew Diebel writes for USA Today, the Norwegian government decided to make some changes to withstand what may lie ahead. The structure was designed to withstand earthquakes and nuclear war, but as Briggs notes, the vault’s entrance was flooded last year after a bout of extreme weather. Keeping the vault updated has proven essential. As Alister Doyle reports for Reuters, the upgrades, which will cost around $13 million, will include construction of a concrete access tunnel, a service building for emergency power and refrigerating units and other electrical equipment. The seeds will be added to the growing collection that resides in the frosty underground digs, which will soon get a pricey update. Deposits include unique varieties of rice, black-eyed peas, and Bambara groundnut (a drought-tolerant crop). Now, its getting its millionth donation-and a makeover.Īs Helen Briggs of BBC News reports, the vault accepted a delivery Monday of more than 70,000 crops that will take it to its one million donation mark. Since Norway opened the vault 10 years ago, hundreds of thousands of donations have poured in. “We are working collaboratively with breeders to help solve these problems,” Volk said.Buried deep within a mountain in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago east of Greenland, is a repository of seeds and plants stored as a backup in case of global disaster.
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The animal matter has also been used to reintroduce two Y chromosomes to Holstein cow breeders and helped farmers fight a lethal mutation that was found in Angus cattle. Seeds from the Fort Collins vaults have specifically helped scientists create wheat resistant to a harmful disease called Russian Wheat Aphid, more efficient corn and better harvests of sunflowers, corn and chickpeas. Some specific plants, like corn, have their entire evolution preserved in Fort Collins.Īs humans have domesticated seeds, they have gone from being small and dark to bigger and lighter. Rare wild ancestor plant seeds are stored and offer crucial genetic clues to researchers. A third of the requests for seeds come from outside of the U.S. The collection in Fort Collins serves as the basis of research for scientists around the world. “We work for scientists of the future but also with scientists of the past,” said research leader Christina Walters, who has worked at the Fort Collins vault for three decades.