NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — A non-profit foundation dedicated to saving rare breeds of animals is teaming with the Smithsonian Institution on a project to preserve animal DNA through cryogenics.
Peter Borden, the executive director of the SVF Foundation in Newport, tells the Providence Journal (http://bit.ly/1oF0Teu ) the partnership will be known as the The Smithsonian and SVF Biodiversity Preservation Project.
The organizations plan to build a center in Front Royal, Virginia that will be designed specifically for the preservation of genetic diversity through cryogenics.
SVF, which is located on a 35-acre property near Fort Adams in Newport, plans to store its 86,000 frozen genetic samples, representing 26 livestock breeds at the center.
The Smithsonian will use the genetic material to bolster endangered species at its Conservation Biology Institute.
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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com
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