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Engineering Life Itself
In early 2021, scientists successfully cloned a black-footed ferret -- the first time a native endangered species has been cloned in the United States. This was done using frozen DNA from an animal that had been dead for 30 years.
The Smithsonian has been leading the field in frozen biomaterials and cryo-collections for many years. The Pan-Smithsonian Cryo-Initiative is one of the world's largest frozen biological collections. It holds thousands of tissue and DNA samples. Smithsonian scientists have pioneered techniques to freeze and use sperm from the bank to rescue rare and endangered species.
Smithsonian scientists are also freezing coral larvae in hopes of regrowing reefs that have been destroyed by the effects of climate change. In addition to maintaining biodiversity, the Cryo-Initiative may eventually support human medicine by developing novel approaches to preserve fertility and store biomaterials at room temperature. Conserving species is a huge challenge, and this work shows how collaboration can lead to life-saving results. |