- Playing
- Banking on Seeds
- From
- Pat Maxwell
I don’t know if Santa Claus ever collected seeds, but one of his neighbors sure does. About 200 miles from the North Pole, the United States is building an arctic seed vault. When completed, the Svalbard Seed Vault will hold backup seeds, copies you could say, from almost every one of the world's 1.5 million crop strains...
Also in the May 2012 - Isla Earth Radio Series series
New Plastics from Old Paint
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Have you ever bathed in paint? Canary yellow or baby blue? Well of course you haven’t! But almost three million Americans could have last year.
XptA1: Nature’s Pesticide
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Mother Nature doesn't fly a crop-duster -- she doesn't need to. A research team at the University of Warwick, England, recently discovered a natural protein that could work ...
Carbon Storage in Mangroves
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Mangrove trees are simply amazing, in a sci-fi kind of way.
RBI Highlights Conservation Needs
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Get in and get out! It works for the Navy Seals. So why not do the same with a crack team of scientists?
Invasion of Monster Toads
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Now playing in Australia: Invasion of the Monster Toads! Today’s story began back in the 1930s when Australia’s sugar-cane farmers had a problem.
Cave Habitats
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Nature builds neighborhoods in the most interesting places. Caves, for example, are pretty spectacular neighborhoods.
Bacteria Super Power
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Batman step aside! You're no match for these polluting villains.
Nature Provides Clues for Survival
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Believe it or not, sometimes, it’s a good idea to be “as cold as ice.”
Beetle Juice
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
The African Stenocara beetle has learned a thing or two about water conservation.
Water Use
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Did you know it takes over 132 gallons of water to make a tortilla? No doubt, more than you thought.
Piece Description
I don’t know if Santa Claus ever collected seeds, but one of his neighbors sure does. About 200 miles from the North Pole, the United States is building an arctic seed vault. When completed, the Svalbard Seed Vault will hold backup seeds, copies you could say, from almost every one of the world's 1.5 million crop strains...
Additional Credits
Isla Earth is produced by the Catalina Island Conservancy with support from its Fund for a Sustainable Planet.





