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Study Suggests Potatoes Can Grow On Mars (phys.org)
The International Potato Center (CIP) has launched a series of experiments to discover if potatoes can grow under Mars' atmospheric conditions, as well as under extreme conditions on Earth. The CIP placed a potato inside a "specially constructed CubeSat contained environment" that simulates Mars temperature, air pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. They then used sensors and live-streaming cameras to record the soil and monitor the status of the potato. Preliminary results are positive as cameras inside the container show sprouts. Phys.Org reports: "We have been looking at the very dry soils found in the southern Peruvian desert. These are the most Mars-like soils found on Earth." Chris McKay of NASA ARC. "This [research] could have a direct technological benefit on Earth and a direct biological benefit on Earth," says Chris McKay of NASA ARC. From the initial experiment, CIP scientists concluded that future Mars missions that hope to grow potatoes will have to prepare soil with a loose structure and nutrients to allow the tubers to obtain enough air and water to allow it to tuberize. "It was a pleasant surprise to see that potatoes we've bred to tolerate abiotic stress were able to produce tubers in this soil," Amoros said. He added that one of the best performing varieties was very salt-tolerant from the CIP breeding program for adaptation to subtropical lowlands with tolerance to abiotic stress that was also recently released as a variety in Bangladesh for cultivation in coastal areas with high soil salinity. Amoros noted that whatever their implications for Mars missions, the experiments have already provided good news about potato's potential for helping people survive in extreme environments on Earth.
A remarkable number of people think the martian is based on a true story
Well, duh! If you use Wikipedia too look up what's in Mars regolith and you fantasize that plants grow out of water alone, it's obviously easy.
Actually, I think people believing a sci-fi movie to be true probably has less impact on the real world than those who believe historical movies to be completely true. It has often been said that history is written the victors, and that may have been true once, but nowadays the history that many know and believe was actually written by Hollywood scriptwriters.
There's no practical difference between writing a Hollywood script versus an epic poem.
It's closer to reality than many a holy book, and a remarkable number of people believe that those are true, so there's that.
Ezekiel 23:20