Russia plans to create a DNA bank of all animals, dubbed Noah's Ark

Source  :  http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news

A Russian university plans to undertake one of the country's largest scientific projects in years.

The DNA of every animal in world history will be collected in a massive scientific project, Russian researchers announced Thursday.

Dubbed “Noah's Ark,” the project will be a “databank on all living species,” according to Moscow State University President Dr. Viktor Sadovnichy.

“If it’s carried out, this will be a leap in Russian history as the first nation to create an actual Noah’s Ark of sorts,” he told state media.

According to Sadovnichy, the ark will not only collect the DNA of living animals, but also “disappearing and extinct organisms.”

The project is expected to cost close to US$194 million and will include a 430 square kilometer storage facility on a university campus, according to RT.

The facility is expected to be completed by 2018, and all departments of the university will contribute to the project in some way, said Sadovnichy.

There are at least 1.5 million known species living on Earth today, though scientists suggest there could be millions more that haven't been identified.

However, according to research published in September by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the number of wild animals across the world has halved in the past four decades. According to the research, the massive die-off is largely due to human activity, including pollution and habitat destruction.

“If half the animals died in London Zoo next week it would be front page news,” Professor Ken Norris from the ZSL told the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper.

“But that is happening in the great outdoors. This damage is not inevitable but a consequence of the way we choose to live,” he added.