Researchers smuggle ancient seeds out of Syria to save agricultural heritage

A unique collection of ancient seeds is safe from destruction in <a href="http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=syria" target="_blank">Syria</a> after scientists managed to smuggle their precious cargo out of the country.

Since 2012, scientist from the The International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), located just outside of Aleppo, have been working to preserve their seed bank.

The bank holds one of the world's most important seed collections, preserving ancient seeds as well as seeds from staple food crops, like wheat and barley.