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Growing Plants on the Moon May Be Feasible

Smivs writes "European scientists say that growing plants on the moon should be possible. Scientists in the Netherlands believe growing plants on our sister satellite would be useful as a tool to learn how life adapts to lunar conditions. It would also aid in understanding the challenges that might be faced by manned bases. 'The new step, taken in the experiments reported at the EGU, is to remove the need for bringing nutrients and soil from Earth. A team led by Natasha Kozyrovska and Iryna Zaetz from the National Academy of Sciences in Kiev planted marigolds in crushed anorthosite, a type of rock found on Earth which is very similar to much of the lunar surface. In neat anorthosite, the plants fared very badly. But adding different types of bacteria made them thrive; the bacteria appeared to draw elements from the rock that the plants needed, such as potassium.'"

22 of 254 comments (clear)

  1. Huh? by powerlinekid · · Score: 3, Funny

    sister satellite

    I don't think that means what the article writer intended it to mean...

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    can't sleep slashdot will eat me
    1. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      No, no, you misunderstand. The article writer is from 3753 Cruithne.

    2. Re:Huh? by Missing_dc · · Score: 3, Funny

      Doesn't matter, I'm still stuck on the smart russian chicks who headed this research. I can only hope they are hot... mmmmm lets see... Skolka anna stoyet?

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      How amazed would you be to suddenly find that you just forgot what I wrote and you needed to reread my post.... again.
    3. Re:Huh? by JamesTRexx · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well, we were waiting until she was older before telling, but she's actually an adopted sister.

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      home
    4. Re:Huh? by arb+phd+slp · · Score: 3, Funny

      try asking 10 people on the street which language is spoken in Great Britain!
      Which 10? English, Welsh, Irish, Ulster Scots, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, or Cornish... Don't forget Qwghlmian.
      --
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  2. Re:Very careful--only one chance by JK_the_Slacker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Did you just say that the moon is a harsh mistress?

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  3. Re:and of course... by hansraj · · Score: 5, Funny

    But that would involve *going* to the moon which anyone with a brain knows is impossible.

  4. Marigolds by boristdog · · Score: 3, Funny

    Of COURSE they used marigolds.

    Now they need to study the effect of gamma rays on these plants.

  5. The next Cheech and Chong movie... by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cheech: "Sounds like the perfect place to grow some reefer, man."

    Chong: "Like wow man, the pigs would never think to look on the moon, man."

  6. Re:and of course... by hansraj · · Score: 5, Funny

    So you are one of those nutcases that don't believe that we actually landed on moon? Only people with severe psychological disorders believe that crap.

    Wait.. why do you have my nick?

  7. Re:terraforming recapitulates phylogeny? by caffeinemessiah · · Score: 5, Funny

    Scientists in the Netherlands, believe growing plants on ou...

    Look, if anyone knows anything about growing plants under unfavorable conditions (soil if not legal), it would be the Dutch. Looking forward to new strains like "Even More Northern Lights", "Earthly Glow", ...

    had to be said too.

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    An old-timer with old-timey ideas.
  8. I can see it now... Kudzu! by zenaida_valdez · · Score: 4, Funny

    It'll grow anywhere. It don't need no stinkin' air. The Moon will be completely covered in 3 to 5 years.

  9. Re:Air? by jellomizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmmm. Planting earthworms on the Moon... Moon Worms... After countless years, they will evolve better resistance to low pressure to a point where it can survive in a vaccume, resistant to full radiation from the sun, and collect all the materials it needs O2 and Water from the ground. Flurisning in this environment it will soon learn to use some of the excess gasses it digegest as a form or propulation, grow larger and larger until it reaches huge sizes where in order for them to survive they must eat moons and planets and fly to other systems in hibernation. To feed on other solar systems... Man you guys just doomed the galixy.

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    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  10. Give peas a chance... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...that's all I'm saying...

  11. Two words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Moon Weed!

  12. Re:Little shop of horrors ! by CogDissident · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm too much of a nerd, immediately thinking that "Hey, human flesh doesn't actually have enough nutrients in it that plants need in their current form. They'd have to kill us, then plant themselves in us and get the nutrients from us as we decompose"

  13. Re:Air? by Frigid+Monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    So I guess that moon weed is some good stuff huh?

    --
    "It's all just meme meme around here"
  14. He he ... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Funny

    Scientists in the Netherlands, believe growing plants on our sister satellite would be useful as a tool to learn how life adapts to lunar conditions.

    *laugh* Oh, those wacky Dutch. Trying to start a grow-op on the moon.

    I for one welcome our new lunar based, wooden shod, pot growing overlords, and anticipate the weed that is truly out of this world.

    I think that's a good sign for lunar exploration -- brothels and legalized drugs will make space attractive for much more of the population. :-P

    Cheers
    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  15. Re:Very careful--only one chance by jollyreaper · · Score: 5, Funny

    We may only get one chance to do this right. If we introduce a bacteria that can survive without artificial shelter (doubtful, but possible), it's there forever. Many of the problems we've had here with invasive species has been due to things introduced intentionally that ended up doing things that weren't anticipated. Holy shit, you're right! Just think of the impact an escaped bacterium could have on the lunar ecology.
    --
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  16. Re:Air? by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 4, Funny

    "I have ridden the mighty moon worm!"
                                          -- Al Gore, Inventor of the Environment, First Emperor of the Moon

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  17. Re:Very careful--only one chance by fredrikj · · Score: 4, Funny

    Unless the bacteria eat gravity.

  18. Re:Very careful--only one chance by catmistake · · Score: 3, Funny

    that becomes an essential tool for our colonization of black holes (next month's issue).