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Scientists manage to grow plants on lunar soil for the first time in history

For the first time in history. Scientists managed to grow seeds in soil on the Moon, from samples recovered during NASA missions in 1969 and 1972. The groundbreaking study is the first step toward growing plants for food and oxygen on future space missions.

Researchers at the University of Florida planted seeds of the plant Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant native to Eurasia and Africa, in small samples of lunar soil collected during the Apollo 11, 12, and 13 missions.

For the first time seeds germinated in the soil of the moon

According to a Article detailing the experiment published by the scientific journal Communications Biologyafter about a week of watering and fertilizing the seeds grew in and out of the lunar regolith.

The successful growth of the plant marks an important milestone in lunar and space exploration by giving rise to crops that could support future human crews. Although it is important to note that, when investigating the biological response of plants in the lunar substrate, it was observed that they presented stress and stunted growth compared to their counterparts planted on Earth.

Anna-Lisa Paul and Robert Ferl

The experiment, which took years to complete, was made possible because NASA’s Artemis Program is preparing to return humans to the Moon in 2025. The experiment’s two principal investigators, Anna-Lisa Paul and Robert Ferl, requested the use of lunar soil four times over eleven years, before his application was approved by NASA.

While NASA Chief Scientist Sharmila Bhattacharya praised the experiment’s recent findings, she stressed that much work remains to be done, though she said the study presents many follow-up opportunities for scientists planning to conduct studies to understand how plant cultivation could alter the Moon’s soil.

Astronauts collecting soil samples

However, the growth of the seeds in the lunar soil is the first such achievement and goes back to what motivated scientists like Paul and Ferl to become interested in science thanks to the first missions to the Moon.

You have to remember when we were children, we watched how these samples were collected. we saw them on television and therefore to be part of this legacy, even if it is a small part, is extraordinary.

– Anna-Lisa Paul

Source: Okchicas

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