Humanity has made a lot of mistakes throughout our existence, but occasionally we work together and do some really smart things. One of those things was in 2008 when the ‘Doomsday Vault” was launched in Svalbard, Norway.

This vault was specifically designed to safely house samples of food crop seeds for extremely long periods of time. The hope is that if, in the future, there is an issue with the global crops for some reason, scientists will be able to access this vault and start growing things using crops that were proven successful.

The facility is built into manmade caves and can function without human intervention almost indefinitely.

Recently, more than 14,000 new samples of crops were added to the vault.

These new seeds are being transferred from 21 other gene banks around the world. Many of them are coming from a gene bank in Sudan where many crop species are already threatened because of their ongoing civil war.

Ali Babikar is the director of Sudan’s Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Research Center and he said in a statement:

“In Sudan, where conflict has displaced more than eight million people and disrupted agriculture, these seeds represent hope. By safeguarding this diversity in Svalbard, we’re preserving options for a resilient, food-secure future, regardless of the challenges we face.”

All of these seeds will now be protected in this remote vault that is seen by many as the most secure option for seeds. Each of the seeds is stored in three-ply foil packages, which are then secured in plastic containers and placed on shelves. The facility is kept at -18° C (-.4°F). This is done through air conditioning units, but the permafrost in the surrounding environment would maintain the low temperatures even if the power goes out.

All of the seeds are identified using sheets of nanofilm designed to last for long periods of time.

It is good to see that this vault continues to grow and protect the precious genetic diversity that will hopefully never be needed.

I would love to visit that vault.

If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.