Project Hope was a scientific project executed by Earthlings in an attempt to adapt to the aftermath of World War III. In A.D. 2072, an environmental research team on Earth led by Dr. Arnold Maverick discovered a sarcophagus that belonged to an ancient civilization from approximately 12,000 years ago. DNA samples taken from it revealed a lost genome, one that has no counterpart in modern humans. Later studies by Dr. Saionji's group found that combining this genome with dormant portions of the modern human genome could produce a race of people highly resistant and adaptable to harsh environments. The Federation government, faced with the extinction of the human race, saw the potential to save mankind in these findings, and conducted further experimentation on a top-secret basis. The so-call