For the first time, scientists have been able to grow plants on lunar soil samples collected during missions from the moon. Apollo gives NASA.

The study was carried out by a group of researchers from University of Florida for the purpose of growing plants on lunar soil. Which, to the surprise of the entire research team, happened in almost all samples.

Thimble-sized containers in plastic dishes commonly used for cell culture were used for the study, and Arabidopsis thaliana, known as ‘Thale’ watercress, a type of local watercress, was used as seeds. from Africa and Eurasia, which is not used in cooking and is not even tasty enough to be eaten, but was chosen because its genetic code was mapped.

Thus, any change at the genetic level of a plant could be easily identified by reading its code.

Each of these containers received a gram of lunar regolith with nutrients and water to produce seeds. And for control purposes, another group of containers was prepared to simulate other extreme conditions, such as simulating Martian soil from terrestrial volcanic ash.

Germination process

Almost all grown seeds sprouted, even in the control groups. It was observed that, despite some differences between them in size, which can be seen even in the control group, in plants germinated in the lunar regolith, it was found that the different composition of these samples directly affected their growth.

In the first few weeks, the conditions of the lunar “soil” strained the seeds so much that they grew much more slowly compared to the seeds in the simulated soil.

A common element among the seeds planted in the lunar samples was that they all showed root atrophy, which is a sign of the plant’s stress in the face of the soil conditions in which it developed. Another factor was that watercress grew best in a sample known to scientists as mature lunar soil, which was taken from one of the most cosmic wind-prone parts of the lunar surface.

It was also found that the samples collected by Apollo 11 were considered less effective, as they were taken from the oldest surface in the Sea of ​​Tranquility, where they were exposed to elements on the lunar surface for billions of years more than on the lunar surface. others are filled with tiny shards of glass from micrometeorite impacts.

big breakthrough

Even with these difficulties in the germination process, this result gave the research team a benchmark for growing plants off the planet.

One solution being considered would be to use younger geologic points on the Moon to minimize the impact of plants and allow them to thrive better through changes such as nutrient mix and artificial lighting.

It is worth noting that during their missions, the Apollos delivered about 381 kg of lunar soil to Earth, since then they have been locked up for years. It took years to complete this experiment, and a group of researchers from the University of Florida were given just 12 grams of these samples, which they managed to grow back in May last year.

If you’re still curious about all the steps in this process, just check out the full survey here.

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Source: Engadget, The Guardian.