Migration into space has always been a good aspiration of humanity。
On 12 may beijing time, a study published in the scientific journal communications biologic offered new possibilities for that purpose. The success of the scientific team at the university of florida in the united states of america in “planting food” in the soil of the moon proves that the soil of the moon allows plants to grow and germinate。
It was the first time in human history that plants were planted on the moon. This breakthrough is expected to enhance the viability of long-term human migration to outer space and, in the long run, may even help to address the planet's food shortage。
“a plant can provide food, oxygen, circulatory water and remove co2 from human habitats. This can provide a potentially necessary component for long-term residence in space and the outer surface.” scientists wrote in their papers。
Scientists are looking at plant growth
In the latter part of the twentieth century, the apollo astronauts were involved in a far-sighted plan to take samples of the soil of the moon back to earth and to keep them in state-of-the-art equipment for future research。
In 1969, the united states cosmonaut armstrong, on board the apollo 11 ship, successfully landed on the moon, taking “his little step”, “the great step of humanity”. The other astronauts then proceeded to board the moon on the apollo, bringing back the rich soil samples of the moon。
More than 50 years later, through continuous experiments, scientists successfully planted mustard mustard south, using samples from the moon soil from moon missions apollo 11, 12 and 17。
This is a cross-facility plant that belongs to close relatives, such as oil, cabbage and broccoli. It has a relatively small plant, growing in china, sichuan and yunnan, and has the advantages of growing fast and easily in the laboratory。
Scientists are studying the moon
In order to plant the south mustard, scientists added water to the soil samples of the moon, wetting the moon. They found, however, that these moons were hydrophobic, and that droplets formed beads on the soil surface, which were able to soak through them by mixing them and destroying them。
They then put seeds in the moon border sample and added nutrients daily. At the same time, they also planted mustard mustard mustard in the south, using samples of the earth's volcanic ash close to the moon's composition as a contrast experiment。
Two days later, the seeds began to germinate。
According to the nasa official network, professor anna-lisa paul, the first author of the paper, was very surprised. She indicated that each seed had sprouts, both in the moon border sample and in the volcanic ash control group。
Six days later, however, the growth of these plants began to vary. In comparison to plants growing in volcanic ash, mustard mustard in the moon is not strong enough. They grow slower and their roots slow. In addition, some of the southern mustards and even leaves in the moon are stunted, with mosaics and leaves darkening. These are all signs of stunting。
On the 16th day, there is a marked difference between the volcanic ash moon simulator (left) and the plant planted in the soil (right) of the moon
On the twentieth day, using rna sequencing techniques, scientists carried out genetic analysis of three of these smaller, darker-coloured plants. They found that more than 1,000 genes expressed different levels from those in volcanic ash, most of which were associated with plant growth。
The results also show that the genetic expression of the mustard mustard south has a similar reaction in the face of harsh environments such as high salt and heavy metals。
In addition, scientists found that the plant growing in the apollo 11 sample was weaker than the apollo 12 and 17。
Scientists speculated that this was because apollo 11 was exposed to cosmic rays and solar wind for relatively long periods of time, resulting in a high degree of weather in those moon soils. At the same time, these moons contain small iron particles that may inhibit plant growth and impair its development。
How to make plants grow better and faster in the soil of the moon and in the future, the research team will further study how to uncover the secret of interaction between plants and the moon and contribute to the future space programme of humankind。
