"biodiversity" news and stories

Rising out of the permafrost like Superman's fortress of solitude, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault stores every kind of crop seed imaginable. The official mission of the vault is to protect biodiversity and help reduce hunger, particularly in developing nations. But as its foreboding nickname ("the doomsday vault") suggests, it could also come in handy in case of, say, apocalyptic global warming.

A fairly new project, the vault -- which is located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic Svalbard archipelago -- received its first seed shipments just over two years ago, from more than 100 different nations. This month the vault hits a new milestone: The collection now tops 500,000, making it the most diverse seed collection on earth. There's a ways to go before it's full, though. The vault has the capacity to hold 4.5 million samples, and each sample itself holds 500 seeds, so a maximum of 2.25 billion seeds can be protected and preserved.

Waters' cookbook, The Art of Simple Food, is a fantastic introduction to the slow food movement.

The movement was founded in the late 1980s by a group of people who wanted to bring back local food traditions that had taken a backseat to technology as our lifestyles picked up speed and changed course. Slow Food International, the non-profit, member-supported group that popularized the idea, does not pretend to have discovered a revolutionary idea. Instead, it reiterates principles that people in places like Italy and France have lived by for thousands of years: celebrating biodiversity in our food supply, utilizing local ingredients and taking the time to enjoy and appreciate our food and where it comes from.

But back to the cookbook. Waters' recipes echo the food she serves at her own restaurant, Che Panisse - she pays close attention to details, and the dishes are full-bodied and well-rounded. The book features a much-needed "techniques" section, and accompanying each recipe is a nice description of the dish, and several variations on ingredients and preparation. Even if you're not yet a slow food convert, recipes Waters' Spicy Cauliflower Soup and Chocolate Crackle Cookies will win you over.