Scientists Grow the First Plants in Moon Soil

Read the article below. 

In a NASA-funded study, scientists at the University of Florida grew plants in soil collected from the moon, according to a study published in the journal Communications Biology. The study is essential to NASA's long-term goals in human space exploration, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a press release. The research could also have implications for plants growing in harsh conditions on Earth, he added. In the study, researchers planted the seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana — a plant related to mustard greens, as well as other vegetables, including broccoli and cauliflower — in lunar soil, which was sampled directly from the moon from missions Apollo 11, 12, and 17.

"We'll need to use resources found on the Moon and Mars to develop food sources for future astronauts living and operating in deep space," Nelson said.

Anna-Lisa Paul, a research professor in the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida and the study's first author, described the samples from the moon as "fine" and "powdery." It also "sticks to everything," Paul added. 

The seeds started to sprout within days of planting. Although all of the seeds sprouted, the ones that grew in lunar soil did not grow as strong as those in the control, according to the release. Some of the plants grown in the lunar soil samples had small roots and leaves, as well as some reddish pigmentation.

After the plants had grown for 20 days, researchers harvested the plants and prepared to study the plant RNA. The expressed gene patterns matched how researchers had seen Arabidopsis react to stress before in other harsh environments, such as when soil carries excess salt or heavy metals.