This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds

This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (Full Version)

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Muttling -> This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/25/2008 9:53:35 PM)
As odd as it may sound, Norway has build a vault to hold seed stocks of many of the plants of our world. When I first read the story, I thought it was pretty bizarre but now that I think about it I really like the idea. This thing could provide a protection against a wide variety of devestating scenarios. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/25/norway.seeds/index.html

Zensee -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 1:38:20 AM)
It's not a panacea but it is a good thing to have. At least one per continent would be better. Such high tech seed vaults must be part of a greater strategy of heritage seed collections, amateur and professional breeders and more modest seed banks. Seeds can simply be stored as a sort of record (and recourse) but they also need to be grown in current conditions (of climate, pests and diseases) to improve survivability. Z.

airborne92 -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 1:45:16 AM)
I heard about this around a year ago. I still think that the overall concept is a great idea, but the implementation has several major flaws. 1) The location of the vault is in a difficult area to reach, with harsh weather to deal with. 2) Those that will need the seeds will probably not be able to access them in the vault. 3)Anyone that survives whatever Doomsday scenario occurs, and knows about this vault will kill to secure the contents for themselves. If you have any doubts about this, stop and think about it for a few minutes and take into consideration human nature.

Hippiekinkster -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 5:52:51 AM)
Gene bank treaty: http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000425/index.html Me, I buy my garden seeds from Seeds of Change: http://www.seedsofchange.com/ The threat to biodiversity is a serious problem, exacerbated by the indiscriminate release of Frankenplants into the world's food supply. Thank all that Rethuglinazi corporate welfare to Monsanto, ADM, etc. for that.

kittinSol -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 5:58:48 AM)
Was about to mention Monsanto but you beat me to it. Since companies are patenting genes and creating seeds with built-in auto-destruction after a single crop, seeds banks make a lot of sense. Who'll have access, in case a catastrophe does occur?

Aswad -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:02:55 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Muttling As odd as it may sound, Norway has build a vault to hold seed stocks of many of the plants of our world. When I first read the story, I thought it was pretty bizarre but now that I think about it I really like the idea. This thing could provide a protection against a wide variety of devestating scenarios. It's part of a strategy by Monsanto to step up their efforts in genetic engineering. If you have a look at it, the parties include Monsanto, MS, etc. They're just securing a rollback point. In case they fuck up. Reasonably good idea, but one should have secondary vaults on the other continents (secondary because the location of this one is excellent in terms of security) as Zensee suggested. Also, one should invest in automated sequencing of the genomes of the seeds in question. The idealist in me would like to make the genomes a matter of public record, but the pragmatist in me worries about the potential for targetted virii and such. Not that I'm more comfortable with handing that to Monsanto, either. Anyway, excellent safeguard in light of the highly profitable option of making Africa dependent on their crops. That'll be the first truly large scale deployment of engineered crops. It could get out of hand, after all. Health, al-Aswad.

Hippiekinkster -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:04:18 AM)
Can't remember where I read it (I'll look 'cause I need it for my Science and Tech bookmark file), but a couple years or so ago a plant pathogen was almost released into the environment that is/was so virulent it could have wiped out all plant life on the planet. And your point about suicied genes is a good one, kitten. (BTW, TY for your comment on the Iran/Israel thread. I will probably revisit that thread. My POV is one that my fellow Progressives/lefties do not at all like)

Aswad -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:07:56 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: kittinSol Since companies are patenting genes and creating seeds with built-in auto-destruction after a single crop, seeds banks make a lot of sense. While Monsanto hasn't always played nice, this is actually a commendable move. It isn't just something that makes good business sense, but one that also makes ecological sense. If Monsanto crops make it into the wild, they die off right away, whereas if they didn't have this thing, they could fuck everything up. This modification limits the scope of the potential damages to the planet's ecosystem from engineered crops in the wild. Health, al-Aswad.

Hippiekinkster -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:19:47 AM)
The destruction of Mexico's in-situ corn gene bank is already well under way: http://www.docudharma.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3705 This is really a drag because US-made tortillas really suck.

kittinSol -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:20:42 AM)
In the light of all the bad PR Monsanto received in recent years, it would make sense for them to try and get some public affection with a seeds vault... cunning plan! Looks as though they're trying to protect something they've actually sought out to destroy: what a spin! Public relations gurus are geniuses, no doubt about it.

Aileen1968 -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:27:07 AM)
It's only good if I'd be able to grow a nice crop of Panama Red to deal with all the stress of new world order.

Aswad -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:34:50 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: kittinSol In the light of all the bad PR Monsanto received in recent years, it would make sense for them to try and get some public affection with a seeds vault... cunning plan! Looks as though they're trying to protect something they've actually sought out to destroy: what a spin! Public relations gurus are geniuses, no doubt about it. Actually, it's a good plan for tons of other reasons. For instance, they have a rollback point when this is done, allowing them to play more fast-and-loose with their engineering. And Africa provides a perfect testing ground: no matter what they do, it will most likely be seen as an improvement, and there's no pesky FDA to contend with, in practice. Also, it gives them access to lots of seeds that they can sequence and experiment with. Worst case, their crops go haywire, wipe out everything else, then die off, leaving Monsanto as one of the companies that need to give their approval in order to reseed, pretty much. Health, al-Aswad.

kittinSol -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:36:26 AM)
Nod nod nod. It makes one wonder what the drug companies are up to :-( .

Aswad -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:46:23 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: kittinSol Nod nod nod. It makes one wonder what the drug companies are up to :-( . Heh... they've got their revenue stream all set up, so it'll be a while. Health, al-Aswad.

kittinSol -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 6:58:45 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Aswad quote: ORIGINAL: kittinSol Nod nod nod. It makes one wonder what the drug companies are up to :-( . Heh... they've got their revenue stream all set up, so it'll be a while. Health, al-Aswad. Ever feel that we're building a world that's beyond science fiction?

Aswad -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 7:05:39 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: kittinSol Ever feel that we're building a world that's beyond science fiction? Art emulates life. Now, building a world that's beyond fantasy... Health, al-Aswad.

kittinSol -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 7:08:30 AM)
Art emulates life, but I was trying to make the point that reality is becoming more 'out there' than fiction. It doesn't really matter... it's more a literary exercise than anything, and a diversion from the topic of the thread :-) .

philosophy -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 9:49:34 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: airborne92 I heard about this around a year ago. I still think that the overall concept is a great idea, but the implementation has several major flaws. 1) The location of the vault is in a difficult area to reach, with harsh weather to deal with. 2) Those that will need the seeds will probably not be able to access them in the vault. 3)Anyone that survives whatever Doomsday scenario occurs, and knows about this vault will kill to secure the contents for themselves. If you have any doubts about this, stop and think about it for a few minutes and take into consideration human nature. ....i sort of see what you're saying here Airborne.....seems to me that a better long term strategy would be to find a way to create smaller local seed-arks....to be collected and sealed locally. Why the hell should only one group of people hold the keys?

slavebianca -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 1:39:35 PM)
Anyone who would trust Monsanto and do you know bill gates is involved, To be doing this for any other reason then to control us in very naive.

Aswad -> RE: This is pretty cool.....A Doomsday Vault for Seeds (2/26/2008 1:56:35 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: philosophy Why the hell should only one group of people hold the keys? Because they're the only ones actually doing it. Go out and collect whatever seeds you might feel like; nobody is stopping you. The direct hit proofed, passively cooled facility on a basically uninhabited island may cost a bit, but it'd be yours. Didn't think so. Health, al-Aswad.

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