Yaël: Today's Moment of Science is about seed banks.

 

Don: You mean like to store seeds?

 

Y: That's right.

 

D: Haven't people been saving seeds for centuries?

 

Y: Sure, but on a different scale, and for different reasons. Seed saving has long allowed  farmers to store the raw materials for the next year's crop. It's also been useful to scientific research. But I'm talking about seed saving on a much greater scale. I'm  talking about banks such as the Millennium Seed Bank in Wes Sussex, England, operations where countless seeds of countless species are stored.

 

D: So these banks are pretty much giant refrigerators I take it?

 

Y: Pretty much. The Millennium Seed Bank keeps its seeds in a vault kept at 4 degrees  Fahrenheit and 15 percent humidity. These conditions allow seeds to be safely stored for up to a century, maybe longer. As we speak, scientists are experimenting to find  ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time.

 

D: What's the use in storing seeds for say, thousands of years? Won't nature take care  of that?

 

Y: These days there are all sorts of reasons scientists feel it is important to take seed matters into their own hands. The spread of invasive plant species is an everyday  threat to many native species. Other threats include the increasing use of genetically   modified crops, the spread of corporate agricultural practices, and the ongoing  destruction of rainforests.

 

D: And global warming?

 

Y: Sure. If the planet continues to warm, some, if not many, plant species may not be  able to adapt. The ability to save seeds for hundreds, possibly thousands of years  may allow future generations to revive plants that would have otherwise been lost  forever, and to restore environments that have been damaged or destroyed.