CSBR: Natural History: Preserving the genomes of the type specimens in the Museum of Comparative Zoology

物种是生物多样性的基本单位。为了被识别，物种必须根据物理标本进行描述和命名，通常称为模式标本或命名标本。这些模式标本必须登记并存放在公共机构，通常是自然历史博物馆，供科学界进一步研究。传统上，这样的标本，无论是骨头还是干燥的皮肤，一只被钉住的昆虫，还是保存在液体中的标本，都被储存在博物馆的架子上。 然而，这些条件对于长期保存其宝贵的DNA来说是次优的。为了阻止模式标本中的DNA降解，该奖项提供了一种在比较动物学博物馆（MCZ）中对大多数主要类型进行子采样和冷冻保存的方法，以确保将来可以进行基因组工作。 此外，该项目为学生提供了一个接受博物馆科学培训和在最先进的低温保存设施中工作的机会。超过31，000个基于数据的主要类型的非化石物种目前存放在MCZ的收藏中。这些以各种方式保存，无论是干燥的（例如，骨头、皮肤、珊瑚、海绵和海星）和湿的（例如，乙醇、福尔马林），但这些中很少被冷冻保存，因此它们的DNA随着时间的推移而迅速降解。该项目的主要目的是通过对大部分MCZ主要类型进行二次采样，防止DNA进一步降解。17，000份标本并将其存放在MCZ低温保藏中心--该设施将标本储存在约-167 °C的汽液氮冷冻箱中，这是保存遗传资源的黄金标准。MCZ成为第一个进行协调一致的努力，以阻止大量其命名标本的DNA降解的自然历史博物馆。这将确保在未来，每一个有名字的标本都有可能有一个与之相关的测序基因组。此外，这些类型的遗传物质的大规模保存将产生超越科学的影响，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的评估被认为值得支持。影响审查标准。

Species are the basic units of biodiversity. To be recognized, species have to be described and named based on physical specimens, generally known as type specimens or name-bearing specimens. These type specimens must be registered and deposited in a public institution, typically a natural history museum, where they are available to the scientific community for further study. Traditionally, such specimens, whether bones or a dry skin, a pinned insect, or a specimen preserved in fluid, have been stored on museum shelves. However, these conditions are suboptimal for the long-term preservation of their precious DNA. To stop DNA degradation in type specimens, this award provides a means to subsample and cryo-preserve most of the primary types in the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) to ensure that genomic work can be conducted in the future. In addition, the project provides an opportunity for students to be trained in museum sciences and to work in a state-of-the-art facility for cryopreservation. More than 31,000 data based primary types of non-fossil species are currently housed in the collections of the MCZ. These are preserved in a variety of ways, both dry (e.g., bones, skins, corals, sponges and sea stars) and wet (e.g., ethanol, formalin), but few of these are cryopreserved, and thus their DNA has been degrading rapidly over time. The principal aim of this project is to prevent further DNA degradation in most of the MCZ primary types by subsampling ca. 17,000 specimens and depositing them in the MCZ Cryogenic Collection—a facility where specimens are stored in vapor liquid nitrogen freezers at approximately -167 °C, a gold standard to preserve genetic resources. The MCZ becomes the first natural history museum to conduct a concerted effort to stop degradation of DNA in a large number of its name-bearing specimens. This will ensure the possibility that in the future, every name-bearing specimen may have the possibility to have a sequenced genome associated with it. In addition, the widescale preservation of genetic material these types will have impacts beyond science, providing a resource for future discovery.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.