Frozen ark

The Frozen Ark project, (in reference to Noah's ark) is a project presented by UK scientists that aims to preserve the DNA of endangered animal species. The project seeks to create a bank of tissue samples, DNA and in some specific cases entire colonies of animals, which will allow the material and information to be safeguarded in order to continue with the investigations in the event of the extinction of the species. In it the DNA of the species is preserved at 80 degrees below zero. In the long term, scientists speculate about the possibility of recovering species through cloning techniques.

The project is coordinated by the Natural History Museum, the Zoological Society of London and the University of Nottingham, and will give priority to species threatened with extinction within five years and those that survive in captivity.

The first samples stored corresponded to the yellow seahorse, the Socorro turtle dove (Zenaida graysoni) and the Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) and have been preserved in the Natural History Museum, London and the London Zoological Society.

Throughout its history, other institutions from various countries such as Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, the United States, Colombia, South Africa, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand joined the project. in addition to the close relationship with the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).