Scientists starved to death rather than eat the seed bank they guarded

During the 900-day Siege of Leningrad, staff at the institute founded by botanist Nikolai Vavilov barricaded themselves in with the world's first great seed collection. Surrounded by edible grain, tubers and rice, nine of them chose to starve rather than eat the specimens, preserving crop diversity for the future.

— Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, Nikolai Vavilov — Siege of Leningrad, 1941-1944