The National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado, is the largest seed bank in the world.

The facility has a capacity to store 1.5m samples, 50% of which can be kept in cryogenic tanks.

Lab technicians at the testing facilities check seeds and samples to make sure they’re still alive. The seed bank houses more than 500,000 samples of genetic material from nearly 12,000 species.

Seeds at the bank are often distributed to scientists for research and education and have been used to prevent and treat disease resistance.