A "doomsday" vault storing food crop seeds from around the world in man-made caves on a remote Norwegian Arctic island will receive more than 14,000 new samples on Tuesday, a custodian of the facility said.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, set deep inside a mountain to withstand disasters from nuclear war to global warming, was launched in 2008 as a backup for the world's gene banks that store the genetic code for thousands of plant species.
Protected by permafrost, the vault has received samples from across the world, and played a leading role between 2015 and 2019 in rebuilding seed collections damaged during the war in Syria.
"The seeds deposited this week represent not just biodiversity, but also the knowledge, culture and resilience of the communities that steward them," Executive Director Stefan Schmitz of the Crop Trust said in a statement.
The new contributions include a sample of 15 species from Sudan, consisting of several varieties of sorghum - a plant that is significant both for the country's food security and its cultural heritage, the Crop Trust said.
The war between the Rapid Support Forces and the army which broke out in April 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced 12 million, while plunging half of Sudan into hunger and several locations into famine.Arctic
"In Sudan...these seeds represent hope," the director of Sudan's Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Research Centre said in a statement.
The total of 14,022 new samples will be deposited at 1430 GMT, including seeds of Nordic tree species from Sweden and rice from Thailand, the Crop Trust said.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 20th July, covering the latest developments you need to know....
Norway could soon receive a major boost to its airborne defence, as Washington signals readiness to expand military cooperation through a new high-value arms deal.
Two remote spaceports in northern Sweden and Norway are vying to become the first to launch satellites into orbit from mainland Europe, as the continent works to reduce dependence on U.S. space infrastructure.
Norway has joined the European Union in sanctioning two Russian fishing companies accused of aiding Moscow’s intelligence operations in maritime areas.
Norway has listed two Russian fishing companies, Norebo JSC and Murman Seafood, in line with European Union sanctions adopted on 20th May. The Norwegian government stated that the decision supports the country’s broader security policy objectives.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Israeli researchers have unveiled an artificial intelligence tool that can determine a person’s true biological age from tiny DNA samples with remarkable precision.
Germany's export slump since 2021 is largely driven by deep-rooted competitiveness issues, the Bundesbank warned in its latest report, calling for urgent structural reforms.
Two Harry Potter actresses, Emma Watson and Zoe Wanamaker, have each received a six-month driving ban after separate speeding offences, both sentenced on the same day at a Buckinghamshire court.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s foreign ministers met in Tianjin on 15 July, laying the groundwork for the upcoming SCO summit set for the end of August.
Media accreditation is now open for COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, set to take place in Belém, Brazil in 2025.
China is battling an unprecedented power surge, as temperatures push electricity demand beyond 1.5 billion kilowatts. Officials warn the real test is still to come, with risks of power rationing looming.
Monsoon rains in northern India has pushed the death toll past 100, claiming the lives of 104 people in in Himachal Pradesh, injuring 189, and left 35 missing, according to officials.
The Brazilian government has responded to growing concerns over accommodation for participants of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, COP30, set to take place this November in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, in the city of Belém.
The International Air Transport Association on Wednesday stepped up criticism of the European Union's sustainable aviation fuel mandate as a costly initiative that is not helping the environment as regional supplies there remain low.
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