You may have heard about the underground seed vault in Norway that preserves crop diversity. Well now scientists are launching one for poo. Here’s why
We’ve all encountered the horror of the frost-encrusted mystery box buried deep in the freezer. Spare a thought, then, for microbiologist Adrian Egli.
Instead of last week’s leftovers, Egli’s deep freeze contains poo. Lots of poo.
Collecting and storing deep-frozen stool samples sent to him from as far away as Peru, Ethiopia and Ecuador, Egli is building a kind of Noah’s ark – but for microbes, the trillions of bacteria which live in our guts. In doing so he hopes to spare them – and mankind – from a potential existential crisis.
“We’re just starting to understand how important microbes are for our wellbeing, our health and diseases,” said Egli, director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology in Zurich, Switzerland.
“Due to our lifestyles, processed foods and the consumption of antibiotics, there is a rapid decline in microbial diversity, especially in western societies. We need to save this biodiversity now, before it is too late.”
Egli’s idea was inspired by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a secure back-up store of over a million seed samples buried deep in the Arctic permafrost, with the goal of preserving crop diversity.
Western societies are seeing a rapid decline in microbial diversity. Image: Dan Freeman
In Egli’s Microbiota Vault, the aim is to preserve the microbes that live inside and around us – collectively known as the ‘microbiome’.
Research increasingly points to their pivotal role in both our physical and mental wellbeing, but poor diets, urbanisation and our reliance on antibiotics mean microbiota diversity is under threat. And with it, potentially, our own health, or even our survival.
Storing samples for posterity means, for example, that long-lost bacteria might one day be revived, cultured and used to treat disease.
The Microbiota Vault currently stores some 3,000 stools, mainly from Switzerland but also from Puerto Rico and remote pastoralist communities in Ethiopia (main picture).
There’s a rapid decline in microbial diversity in western societies. We must save it before it’s too late
The pilot project, which ends next year, is exploring the best methods of storing, thawing and reviving microbial cultures.
Egli’s ultimate goal is to collect poo from every corner of the planet. For that, he is going to need a bigger freezer.
“The Microbiota Vault will provide a safe and trustworthy biobank to store hundreds of thousands of microbiome samples from around the world,” says Egli.
“We will have well-established protocols to store the samples for decades to come and provide a network for microbiome education, research and development for the whole world.”
Main image: Hadynyah/iStock
Help us break the bad news bias
Positive News is helping more people than ever to get a balanced and uplifting view of the world. While doom and gloom dominates other news outlets, our solutions journalism exists to support your wellbeing and empower you to make a difference towards a better future. And as Positive News’ audience and impact grows, we’re showing the rest of the media that good news matters.
But our reporting has a cost and, as an independent, not-for-profit media organisation, we rely on the financial backing of our readers. If you value what we do and can afford to, please consider making a one-off or regular contribution as a Positive News supporter. From as little as £1 per month, you’ll be directly funding the production and sharing of our stories – helping them to benefit many more people.
Join our community today, and together, we’ll change the news for good.
