Why is this project important?
It is clear that, despite the best efforts of conservationists, thousands of extinctions have occurred before the animals could be rescued. There has not been enough knowledge or money to stem the tide. This pattern is being repeated across all animal groups and emphasises the importance of collecting the DNA and cells of endangered animals before they go extinct. The loss of a species destroys the results of millions of years of evolution. If the cells and DNA are preserved, a very great deal of information about the species is saved. There is even the possibility that in the future scientists will be able to reconstruct extinct animals from the preserved material. The Frozen Ark Project is not a substitute for conservation, but a practical and timely backup of the genetic material.
The global database will be compiled
using methods
to ensure the integrity, compatibility and worldwide accessibility of
the data. Listings will include the known endangered animals, the
location and content of samples already preserved, and the species that
need urgently to be collected within specified time-scales.
What will the research programme do?
The research will work out the optimal methods of humanely collecting and stabilising DNA from different animal species. It will also study new methods for the long-term preservation of DNA.
How many species do you hope to collect?
The IUCN Red Data Lists currently
contain more than
16,000 animal species that are under threat. We aim eventually to
collect the DNA of all these, and the viable cells (somatic cells,
eggs, embryos and sperm) of as many as possible. As it is
believed that these species will be extinct in approximately 50 years,
the collections will have to be made before then.
What are the most important species to preserve first?
About forty species are classified by
the IUCN as
extinct in the wild yet held in zoos. They are the
ones most urgently in need of sampling. The next animals in line are
the 10,000 or so species that
make up the Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable groups.
How long will frozen cells remain viable?
It is believed that, in liquid
nitrogen at -196oC,
cell suspensions will remain viable for 100 years or more.
How long will frozen DNA last?
Recently the frozen remains of a
mammoth were found
in the Siberian permafrost. It was estimated that it had been
there for 30,000 years, at an average temperature of -10oC,
but it contained DNA of high quality. If DNA is stored in liquid
nitrogen at -196oC as we plan, it should survive
intact for many hundreds, and possibly thousands of years.
The samples will be stored in the
institutions that
make up the membership of the Frozen Ark Consortium.
To what future uses might the DNA be put?
The DNA sequence of an animal
contains a great
store of knowledge. It includes information about the
specifications of the animal, its composition, development, behaviour,
ecology and evolution. For animals endangered but not yet
extinct, the stored DNA and cells can also provide renewable resources
of variation for revitalising captive breeding populations when the
loss of variation through inbreeding threatens their survival.
Will the resurrection of species from frozen samples ever be possible?
The recent progress in molecular
biology has been
so extraordinarily fast that we cannot predict what may be possible
even within the next few decades. The cost of sequencing
entire genomes is falling from billions of pounds or dollars to
thousands, and it is expected to fall even further in the next few
years. The genes that affect particular anatomical or
behavioural characters can now routinely be isolated. The
reconstruction of extinct species from frozen material is not yet
practicable, but the possibility is not remote. If we fail to
preserve the DNA and cells, the information and the possibilities will
be lost forever.
The project is being run by the
members of the
Frozen Ark Consortium whose work is currently coordinated in the UK at
the Frozen Ark Office in Nottingham. The office is directed
by the Trustees of the Frozen Ark charity, helped by an Advisory Group
that meets on a regular basis.
Hasn't this material already been collected?
Many institutions around the world
store animal
tissues but most of the storage methods are not suitable for the
long-term preservation of DNA. Several museums, laboratories and zoos
have collections of frozen DNA and viable cells, but few are aimed at
endangered species. Very few samples have been collected from
invertebrate animals.
Who is funding the Frozen Ark?
Donors who have supported the Frozen Ark are listed in the section entitled 'Support'. We still need funding to administer the charity, to help international efforts, and to create and maintain the database. Please see 'What we need' for information on how you can help!