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Dubai BioVault: A Noah's Ark for Endangered Life
3 Feb
Summary
- Dubai will house a BioVault to store genetic material of endangered species.
- Colossal Biosciences aims to safeguard over a million samples from 10,000 species.
- This initiative is backed by a nine-figure funding effort from the UAE.
A new World Preservation Lab, featuring a state-of-the-art BioVault, is set to be constructed in Dubai through a partnership between Colossal Biosciences and the United Arab Emirates. This initiative, described as a 'modern-day Noah's Ark,' aims to safeguard the genetic material of the planet's most vulnerable species.
The BioVault will store cryogenically frozen genetic samples from numerous species, with an initial focus on 100 species chosen based on conservation importance. Colossal Biosciences plans to eventually house over a million samples from more than 10,000 species.
This ambitious project is backed by a nine-figure funding commitment from the UAE, with Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum leading an investment of $60 billion into Colossal. The company previously gained attention for successfully resurrecting the extinct dire wolf.
Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm emphasized the urgent need for a distributed network of BioVaults as a 'backup plan for life on Earth.' The UAE's investment brings Colossal's total funding to $615 million, underscoring the global significance of this biodiversity preservation effort.
