Scientists say moon soil can be used to grow plants

For the first time in history, scientists have managed to grow plants on lunar soil that the Apollo astronauts brought from the moon fifty years ago. NASA's Artemis mission plans to return humans to the moon by 2025. It would be the first manned moon landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. In addition to the USA, China and Russia also conduct lunar research and have joined forces to build a joint moon station for this purpose.

With NASA and other space agencies devoting much of their resources to exploring Mars, the moon has taken a backseat to space explorers and astronauts in recent decades. However, all of that is set to change soon, especially with the aforementioned Artemis program announced back in 2017. As part of the program, NASA plans to explore the moon's south pole and establish a long-term human presence on the moon.

In a study published in the journal Communications Biology, researchers at the University of Florida Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research said they planted thale cress (scientific name: Arabidopsis thaliana) seeds in vials of lunar regolith. The lunar soil is very different from the soil on Earth and contains fragments of glass that are "pretty sharp and angular," according to geologist Stephen Elardo. It also contains metallic iron and, unlike terrestrial soil, no organic material. Given the significant differences in the properties of soil on Earth and soil on the Moon, the researchers weren't sure the seeds would germinate, but to their surprise, they did.

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