International Cryogenic Preservation Network of Biological and Environmental Specimens with Ultra-Long-Term Natural Preservation in Antarctica

BEST胶囊项目，生物和环境标本时间胶囊项目，是由首席调查员于1989年提出的。自1994年以来，它一直由日本文部省科学研究补助金(1998年)和日本科学促进会(直到2000年)赞助。该项目旨在以南极自然冰冻条件下的超长期保存和高度安全的人工保存项目的高度安全的后备系统为标志，建立用于科学目的的生物和环境标本的长期低温保存的国际联网。通过比较研究选择的地球上自然超长期保存的最佳地点是日本南极考察团的穹顶F基地，在那里观察不到冰的移动，温度非常低，即由于海拔3810米的高海拔，-58摄氏度(年平均)，由于冰盖大陆中部极高的大气压力，气候条件非常稳定，年积冰仅为30毫米。1997年，来自世界各地从事低温保存项目的科学家参加了在大阪举行的BEST胶囊研讨会，部分得到了这笔赠款的支持。其中包括皇家植物园千年种子库的种子库经理、保存世界野生花卉种子500年的英国Kew大学、美国和德国环境标本库的首席科学家、大英博物馆人类博物馆的馆长等。研讨会通过互动热议成为创建国际保存网络的里程碑。F穹顶的温度太高，无法保存大部分活着的生物标本。还对这些标本在-60℃下长期保存的技术进行了研究。

The BESTCapsule project, Biological and Environmental Specimen Time Capsule project, was proposed by the head investigator in 1989. Since 1994, it has been sponsored by the grant-in-aid for scientific research of the Japanese Ministry of Education (unfil 1998) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (until 2000). The project aims at international networking of long-term cryogenic preservations of biological and environmental specimens for scientific purposes with an ultra-long-term preservation in Antarctica in natural freezing condition as a symbol and a highly-safe back-up system of the artificial preservation projects.The best place on this planet for a natural ultra-long-term preservation selected by the comparative study is the Dome F base of the Japanese mission to Antarctica, on which no ice movement is observed, temperature is very low, i.e., -58 degree C (annual average) due to high elevation of 3,810 m, and annual ice accumulation is only 30 mm thanks to very stable climate condition due to extremely high atmospheric pressure in the middle of ice covered continent.In 1997, scientists from the world working in the cryogenic preservation projects joined in the BESTCapsule workshop held in Osaka, partly supported by this grant. Among them are the seed bank manager of the Millennium seed bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew of the U.K., which preserves seeds of wild flowers of the world for 500 years, the chief scientists of Environmental Specimen Banks of the U.S.A and Germany, the keeper of the Museum of Mankind of the British Museum, etc. The workshop became a milestone to create an international preservation network through interactive hot discussions.The temperature at the Dome F is too high to preserve most of biological specimens in living condition. Technologies for long-term preservation of these specimens at -60 degree C were also studied.