Norway's Svalbard Global Seed Vault

We've all heard the stories of Armageddon; global thermonuclear warfare, asteroids, volcanoes, earthquakes, aliens and the like. It's a daunting thought, to think that one day the world will be turned into an inhospitable wasteland, but fortunately Norway has us covered. Well, at least in terms of seed preservation.

Norway's "Doomsday" Seed Vault opened in February of 2008 and has been carefully preserving boxes of seeds ever since. Here's how it works: Black boxes of seeds are transported to the usually uninhabited, yet highly monitored facility and are taken through dual blast-proof security doors and an airlock. Once the black boxes are categorized and stored (in up to three separate vaults for security) they remain there until they are needed; that is to say, they remain untouched until they are the last of their kind left on earth.

The vault lies in the frigid mountains near the remote village of Longyearbyen. The rough terrain and polar bear population serve as added security for the facility. Not to mention the cold climate is ideal for natural preservation in the winter months. In other words, it serves fine as a seed preserver, but if you need shelter when the world is coming to an end, don't seek refuge in the facility's -20 degree Celsius storage rooms.

Yesterday on March 12, 2010, the vault reached the 500,000 mark, making it the world's most diverse seed repository. (Approximately 1/3 of the world's known seed varieties are now housed there.)

For more pictures and information check out National Geographic