In Switzerland, researchers store more than a thousand human excrement samples, in a room where the temperature is -80 ° C. This curious initiative is inspired by the famous world Svalbard seed reserve in Norway. Scientists hope to protect microbial biodiversity for future generations, in the event of a large -scale ecological disaster.
A total of 10,000 samples in 2029
More than twenty biochemists, microbiologists, doctors and international agronomists sounded alarm via a publication in the journal Nature Communications on June 27, 2025. According to this group of experts, microbial ecosystems are the basis of life on earth but are increasingly threatened by human activitiesmainly unsustainable agricultural practices and overconsumption of antibiotics. Here is a question of disturbances of microbial networks essential to environmental stability, biodiversity but also, to the health of humans and animals.
The researchers presented their initiative: the Microbiota Vault Initiative (MVI), a non -profit non -governmental organization. Concretely, it is a question of protecting microbial biodiversity by collecting and storing samples of human feces. For the moment, around 1,400 samples are in a room at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) at a temperature of -80 ° C. By 2029, researchers hope to reach a total of around 10,000.
Conceptual framework of the Microbiota Vault Initiative (MVI).
Credits: Dominguez-Bello et al., Nature Communications., 2025
For future generations
Project managers are not interested in the variety of human excrement. In reality, there is indeed a question of
Save billions of microbes that these samples contain. For researchers, future generations could find a use for this reserve, in the event that a large -scale ecological disaster would occur. These could discover in these microbes ways to develop remedies to future diseases or solve different crises of a organic nature. In the long term, scientists should also integrate samples of microbes living in animals, plants and the environment in their reserve.
“Microbial loss is associated with an alarming increase in chronic diseases, such as allergic, autoimmune and metabolic diseases. The loss of microbial diversity extends to environmental ecosystems, jeopardizing agricultural systems and environmental resilience. “” can we read in the publication.
Finally, this initiative is inspired by the World Svalbard Seed Reserve (Norway), where there are no less than 1.3 million samples representing 6,297 species of cultivated plants. In 2024, this structure had received 64,331 new seeds of seeds, an never equaled number since the creation of the site in 2008.