Germplasm Bank of Wild Species in Kunming, a 'Noah's Ark' for tens of thousands of species

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A researcher studies seed morphology through a microscope at the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Oct. 20, 2021. The Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, located in the northern suburb of Kunming, capital of China's Yunnan Province, is a "Noah's Ark" for tens of thousands of species, including rare Davidia involucrata, Taxus himalayana and Rhinopithecus bieti. The Germplasm Bank of Wild Species has preserved 85,046 accessions from 10,601 species of wild plants, accounting for 36 percent of the number of China's seed plant species. The long-term conservation of a seed is a complex procedure, involving more than 70 steps at the end of which the seed will be stored at minus 20 degrees Celsius. If properly stored, the seed could theoretically stay alive for decades or even thousands of years. [Photo by Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua]