Scientists Working To Send A Sperm Bank To The Moon
Scientists have a plan to store a bunch of sperm in an unlikely place. It's not a refrigerator. No, they want to send it all to the moon
This article is more than 2 years old
For a big chunk of rock hanging out in the cosmos and orbiting Earth, the moon has captured the imagination of humans for time on end. And these days, the celestial object is getting a second time in the Sun (so to speak) with lunar rovers continuing to explore the surface and more plans on the way to send folks back there one day. But in the meantime, scientists seem to have another plan for the moon. There’s a plan to make the big piece of cheese a giant sperm bank. You read that correctly. We might be sending a bunch of sperm to the moon. Congrats universe, you win.
Now before you think we are going to just blast the Moon with a bunch of sperm for laughs or a viral video or two, know that there is actually a rational plan for taking this approach. Apparently, the proposal made by a group of scientists is to utilize the moon as a climate for maintaining a gigantic bank of human sperm and ova (6.7 million people’s worth to be exact). This in case of an extinction-level event here on Earth. According to the research, this plan would mean moving the much-needed reproductive stuff off of the planet to avoid all kinds of natural pitfalls.
The plan of sending sperm to the moon was outlined in the paper “Lunar Pits and Lava Tubes for a Modern Ark” by researchers from the University of Arizona. It would mean avoiding all of the negative impacts staying on Earth could have. That would include natural disasters, global warming, or whatever human-initiated calamity that could threaten our life here on this planet. Apparently, in this way, the moon offers the perfect safe haven to store the entirety of human reproductive matter in case of the worst thing happening, whatever that might be.
For starters, the moon has a cold natural climate, perfect for storing the sperm and ova permanently without the need for energy sources or continued maintenance. These would be stored in lunar pits, which were recently discovered. They go down about 300 feet from the surface of the moon which would help keep a steady temperature over a long period of time. They would also be shielded from other debris that could impact the object.
Will we ever send a bunch of sperm to the moon? Probably not. One can only dream about the jokes that would ensue if it ever happened. But the idea, on its face, appears to be a solid one and is built off the idea that we simply can’t be trusted with this kind of thing on Earth. There has to be a backup plan for the human race if things ever go completely south. In this way, making the moon a giant sperm bank doesn’t sound like all that bad of an idea. We’ve long wanted to find good uses for that big hunk of rock hanging out in space. Why not just make it a giant storage container. That would be a typically human thing to do.
