Plus, phylogeny (the study of how the genetic code changes) collected between species and over time allows us to paint pictures of past historical trends, such as pollen counts, average CO2, average temperature, and find evidence of drought, eruptions etc, and disease. That can help us with predictions for current and future disasters, can help us explain human and geographical history, and allows us to try to reconstruct what life may have been like.
Plus, seed banks are designed to keep safe a small ‘starter’ in case of apocalypse, crop failure etc and even without LMMs or GM, we simply want a choice to replenish the crops if we have a disease/climatic change, so we can choose which one seems the most likely to survive in new conditions.
Finally, seed banks seem not a direct victim, but rather a symptom of a wider problem that comes from a spree of firings, shake ups and never-before-seen executive meddling at the level of direct impact. From Pepfar to USAID to WHO to FDA and CDC comms and funding, to NIH grants being revoked, to cancelling the vaccine advisory panel, to H5 and H1 surveillance cuts.… none of these are necessarily ‘direct victims’ (though science is being attacked from high power officials), but have fallen prey to disinformation and tyrannical cuts- the ramifications are already being felt, disease and health knows no borders, and resistance and outbreaks can’t be reversed.
Plus, phylogeny (the study of how the genetic code changes) collected between species and over time allows us to paint pictures of past historical trends, such as pollen counts, average CO2, average temperature, and find evidence of drought, eruptions etc, and disease. That can help us with predictions for current and future disasters, can help us explain human and geographical history, and allows us to try to reconstruct what life may have been like.
Plus, seed banks are designed to keep safe a small ‘starter’ in case of apocalypse, crop failure etc and even without LMMs or GM, we simply want a choice to replenish the crops if we have a disease/climatic change, so we can choose which one seems the most likely to survive in new conditions.
Finally, seed banks seem not a direct victim, but rather a symptom of a wider problem that comes from a spree of firings, shake ups and never-before-seen executive meddling at the level of direct impact. From Pepfar to USAID to WHO to FDA and CDC comms and funding, to NIH grants being revoked, to cancelling the vaccine advisory panel, to H5 and H1 surveillance cuts.… none of these are necessarily ‘direct victims’ (though science is being attacked from high power officials), but have fallen prey to disinformation and tyrannical cuts- the ramifications are already being felt, disease and health knows no borders, and resistance and outbreaks can’t be reversed.