![]() Those plants would eventually decompose, releasing carbon dioxide. (Tulips are apparently very hardy.)Ī potential system for creating a hospitable atmosphere for life in a lunar vault would essentially be a three-part process: Machines would generate a mix of gasses to create a synthetic replica of Earth's atmosphere, where plants could thrive. As a starting point, scientists with the European Space Agency are experimenting with growing tulips in altered lunar conditions. The vault might house actual human and animal embryos. Scientists envision current research in stem-cell technology and cloning to serve as possible repopulation tools if they can be adapted to work in space. It may eventually even hold living organisms that would quite literally help rebuild Earth, including plants and microorganisms. Survivors would have access to data about the basis of human life, how to create the metals needed to build cities and how to plant crops in the most efficient and productive ways. The idea is to house DNA sequences, technological information, agricultural instructions and possibly even cultural artifacts - everything that would help survivors create a new world on Earth. ![]() Scientists plan to house hard discs containing all of human knowledge recorded in Arabic, English, Chinese, Russian, French and Spanish inside the ark. The ark would be buried under the lunar surface. But first: What exactly could you put on the moon that would help humanity rebuild after complete destruction? So if the ark is on the moon, how would survivors access it? After all, a nuclear holocaust that leaves advanced technology intact isn't really a nuclear holocaust. In this article, we'll find out what this "ark" actually is, what it will contain, how it could save humanity, when it could be operational and how viable it really is. The idea was formally presented in a February 2008 conference in Strasbourg, France. And now, the European Space Agency is involved. The Alliance to Rescue Civilization, based at New York University and headed up by scientists who have served in upper echelons of government, academia and private research, has big plans for the end of the world. The idea isn't new - a bunch of surprisingly legitimate and highly respected scientists first suggested the idea in 2006, and while the scoffing was loud, it wasn't deafening enough to shut the concept down. ![]() (Or just pretend "24" is our reality and Jack Bauer is nowhere to be found.) Even to those of us who aren't fatalists, it doesn't seem completely far-fetched, given recent events.Įnter the so-called Doomsday Ark on the moon. Throw in bird flu making the inter-species jump and a successful bioterrorist attack and you're looking at very bad news for civilization. Imagine a war that leads to a nuclear detonation that triggers earthquakes, which trigger tsunamis that bring on a period of famine along major coastlines. Sure, "doomsday" may be a huge, sudden affair, like nuclear holocaust or an asteroid collision, but it could also be the result of a string of several smaller events that leave the human race all but eradicated. You never know.Ĭall it a dark view of the Butterfly Effect: The end of the world as we know it may not come in an explosion heard round the world or the rapid extinction of entire species that can't survive global warming. The incident didn't lead to rioting, looting and a declaration of Martial Law that led to widespread protest and the toppling of the U.S. It was actually just the result of a tree falling in Cleveland that took out a major power line, causing a blackout in cities all along the coast. When a huge chunk of the northeastern United States went dark in 2003, it's likely that a terrorist attack was one of the first thoughts to cross people's minds.
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