Plants successfully grown in moon dust
Scientists have successfully grown some plants in moon dust collected by NASA astronauts during the Apollo missions. This is a fascinating result, and there is excitement about the possibility of growing plants on the moon when astronauts return there in the coming years.
However, the plants weren’t just grown in moon dust—they were given added nutrients and water, and grown in Earth’s atmosphere. Even then, most of the plants were stunted and grew more slowly than plants grown in volcanic ash from Earth. While this discovery is interesting, it also reveals how well designed Earth is to sustain life—even down to the makeup of Earth’s dust.
- Dunn, M., Scientists grow plants in moon dirt for the first time, stuff.co.nz, 13 May 2022
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