01/04/16

SciDev.Net Podcast: Seed investment

By: Lou Del Bello

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<h1>SciDev.Net Podcast: Seed investment</h1>
<h4>By: Lou Del Bello</h4>
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<p><iframe loading="lazy" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/256728428%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-0KPnE&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><em style="font-size: smaller;">If you are unable to listen to this audio, please update your browser or <a href="https://soundcloud.com/scidev-net/podcast-april-seedbank">go here to download</a>.</em></p>
<p>If a few decades ago environmental and climatic changes were the remit of scientists and activists only, now concerns over the future of the planet have gone mainstream.<br />
 <br />
Climate change and industrial pollution are now threatening the availability of food, and given the current rate at which humans are multiplying, within a few decades there may not be enough food to feed the world’s population.<br />
 <br />
Now scientists are racing to protect our most precious asset, the world’s plants, <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/">20 per cent of which are currently threatened</a>.<br />
 <br />
Following the publication of <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/nplants201622.epdf?referrer_access_token=Rstj3mvOtt74U7zMNkSgrdRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0MrS2h2u3BU2zDwrRkOZ8PFmNCRajlwSGZPOzTI6n2djSctSgs9ptnY2XH5bpDvQxlgnjfH73kAAlUxXUV2PRIsrU9_Td0gdpqy41K_mUntdNqhfoHufs-5x7kM79QcKkGrHpJgwjCxPT1kceXWbzaoAB_9glx9z6dVjQR616_zv-QdrAcDG4_93zlkkeqbpNY%3D&tracking_referrer=www.scidev.net">one landmark study</a> showing how plants’ diversity is under- represented in the world’s genetic archives, and how this could spell disaster for food security in the decades to come, we travelled to the world’s largest seed bank to investigate.</p>
<p><em>Music for this podcast is by David Szesztay</em></p>
<p><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/scidev.net/id969129651?mt=2"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="itunes.jpg" fileid="0A957665-6474-4A8B-B3F379590E1751F3" height="149" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/adverts/itunes.jpg" width="485" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 485px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 485/149;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="itunes.jpg" fileid="0A957665-6474-4A8B-B3F379590E1751F3" height="149" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/adverts/itunes.jpg" width="485" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 485px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 485/149;" /><noscript><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="itunes.jpg" fileid="0A957665-6474-4A8B-B3F379590E1751F3" height="149" src="/wp-content/uploads/site_assets/adverts/itunes.jpg" width="485" /></noscript></noscript><br />
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<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/multimedia/podcast-seed-investment-april-2016/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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If you are unable to listen to this audio, please update your browser or go here to download.

If a few decades ago environmental and climatic changes were the remit of scientists and activists only, now concerns over the future of the planet have gone mainstream.

Climate change and industrial pollution are now threatening the availability of food, and given the current rate at which humans are multiplying, within a few decades there may not be enough food to feed the world’s population.

Now scientists are racing to protect our most precious asset, the world’s plants, 20 per cent of which are currently threatened.

Following the publication of one landmark study showing how plants’ diversity is under- represented in the world’s genetic archives, and how this could spell disaster for food security in the decades to come, we travelled to the world’s largest seed bank to investigate.

Music for this podcast is by David Szesztay