Half Million Seeds Now in "Doomsday" Vault

Secure Crop Seed Bank on Arctic Island Hits Record Inventory 2 Years after 1st Samples Arrived

(AP)  Two years after receiving Its first deposits, a "doomsday" seed vault on an Arctic island has amassed half a million seed samples, making it the world's most diverse repository of crop seeds, the vault's operators announced Thursday.

Cary Fowler - who heads the trust that oversees the seed collection, which is 620 miles from the North Pole, said the facility now houses at least one-third of the world's crop seeds.

"In my lifetime, I don't think we'll go over 1.5 million. I'd be rather surprised if we go over a million," Fowler told The Associated Press. "At that point, we'd have all the diversity in the world ... and the most secure samples."

Located in Norway's remote Svalbard archipelago, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a safeguard against wars or natural disasters wiping out food crops around the globe. It was opened in 2008 as a master backup to the world's other 1,400 seed banks, in case their deposits are lost.

"60 Minutes: A Visit to the Doomsday Vault

War wiped out seed banks in Iraq and Afghanistan, and another bank in the Philippines was flooded in the wake of a typhoon in 2006. The Svalbard bank is designed to withstand global warming, earthquakes and even nuclear strikes.

Despite the rapid progress, Fowler said the bank still has significant holes in its collection.

"There are a few unique collections that we don't have up there yet - Ethiopia and some of the Indian materials and some of the Chinese materials," he said.

The most recent additions include a mold-resistant bean from Colombia and a collection of nearly every agricultural soybean species developed in the U.S. in the last century.

[bringbackmfg]

If there is a doomsday, I want to go out in the firt half second of it!

[metomjr]

Can someone clarify this part of the article: "the facility now houses at least one-third of the world's crop seeds."

Does that mean 1/3 of the variety of seeds, or 1/3 of all the seeds available to plant? For example, if there are only 3 of one rare baseball card, and I own 1 of them, I would house 1/3 of the cards available.

[dragon8me]

I hope they have cannabis seed. If you we're traped on a desert island with only a handfull of seeds to survive with, cannabis would be the best to have. It can provide rope, cloths, food, medicine, oil for fuel and lighting and much, much more. It even rejuvinates the soil.

[TVO1CITW]

What a job. If I could stand the cold and white all the time it would be perfect.

[Dgunner]

This all looks pretty good on paper. When and if the real dooms day arrives? These seeds are not going to be needed.I can tell you when that will be. It be right after the sixth trump will come the seventh and then there will no longer be any need for seed.

[dragon8me]

I didn't know Trump had kids. lol

[gorgeousm]

What if the crops are not pretty?
We'll boycott them.

[gorgeousm]

How about survival from the effects of black holes?