Researchers at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History are helping to tackle Earth’s remaining 1.3 million species through a project known as the Global Genome Initiative.
The plan is to eventually freeze embryos, seeds, and other genetic samples from as many of Earth’s life-forms as possible. The project will make use of the Smithsonian Institute’s biorepository, a 6,500-square-foot, $9 million storage facility that has space for more than 4.2 million tiny vials of cryogenically frozen tissue samples.
That’ll be no easy task, but Kirk Johnson, head of the museum, insists it’s a crucial shift if the Smithsonian hopes to continue making scientific discoveries.
Read the full, original story here: Earth’s Life-Forms Collected to Aid in Genetic Research
