Reducing Plant Stress Leads to Martian Farms

Saint Aardvark the Carpeted writes "NASA is looking for ways to get plants to grow on Mars -- and surprisingly, reducing their stress is a good first step. By splicing genes from Earth-bound extremophiles into seeds whose descendants are destined for the red planet, scientists hope to breed plants that can handle the wide range of temperatures (pdf) that will be found on Mars."

Comments

Solution doesn't need to be scientific...

[RootsLINUX]

I heard that singing to plants helps thenm grow and reduce their stress levels. Now all we need to do is to perform some experiments and figure out what type of singing/music genre provides the best stress relief. I'm thinking reggae would do the trick personally... >_>

Re:Solution doesn't need to be scientific...

[ediron2]

I'm thinking reggae would do the trick personally...

Yes! Certain varieties of cannabis are very hardy. We could crash a satellite full of genetically-modified extremophile marijuana seeds on Mars. Then, when we finally get people there, paradise will surely await them! Brilliant! Sign me up!

... and the astronauts won't care if they're stranded.

... and astronaut-volunteer rates will soar.

... ensuring mars will *never* attack us.

... the planet's residents will promptly petition for a namechange, from Mars to Eros.

... upon the colonial-ship's arrival, all communication stops abruptly. When it restarts, only two words come to Earth, repeated ad infinitum: "Send Munchies!"

... a haze quickly forms planetwide, CO2 levels soar, greenhouse effects kick in, and Martians-For-Global-Warming cheers lazily.

... Bob Marley's headstone takes off earth, self-propelled, and navigates toward Mars. Very 2001, mon.

Kudzu

[Reverend528]

We should send a bunch of kudzu to mars. That stuff will grow anywhere.

possible priority question?

[CdBee]

I'm not criticising.. but surely research into plants that can take extremes is of more short-term utility in creating species which can suck up and withhold pollutants as part of a clean-up operation for Earth than in sustaining the "great-post-armageddon-earth-bug-out" destination?

Cold tolerance

[demachina]

I think if you are engineering life for Mars you need to be developing cold tolerance, more than heat tolerance which is what this experiment seems to be doing. The concept is the same but you have to wonder why they they made their choice of extremeophiles. The averge surface temperature on Mars is around -55C. The hottest you see is 27C which is a very warm summer day. Developing tolerance for 4-100C doesn't quite fit.

You wonder why they aren't working with extremeophiles from the Arctic, Antarctic and high mountains instead of ocean vents.

Just come to Ottawa

[pcb]

scientists hope to breed plants that can handle the wide range of temperatures that will be found on Mars.

Just come to Ottawa (Canada). Minus 35 C in the winter, plus 35 C in the summer! And I see corn growing across the street. Why am I living here again...might as well move to Mars.

PCB