▲ 481 ▼ Scientists Have Just Successfully Grown Chickpeas In Simulated Moon Dirt For The First Time Using Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi To Absorb Nutrients And Water. (dailygalaxy.com) submitted 8 months ago by RegularJoe@lemmy.world to c/science@lemmy.world 56 comments fedilink hide all child comments
[+] melfie@lemy.lol 22 points 8 months ago (13 children) [deleted] permalink fedilink source hideshow 13 child comments replies: [+] ameancow@lemmy.world 28 points 8 months ago* (5 children) [deleted] permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 5 child comments replies: [+] melfie@lemy.lol 9 points 8 months ago* (1 child) [deleted] permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] eleitl@lemmy.zip 3 points 8 months ago Perchlorates are water-soluble, and there is lots of ice on Mars. But people won't live there sustainably, so there is no point to it. permalink fedilink source parent [–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 child) because hot damn, that shit doesn't exist anywhere else that we know of. Soil is a product of millions of years of complex interactions between plants, bacteria and water and fungus and other life forms. Actually, you only need ground bedrock, some organic matter and some bugs & and worms and a few years (like, 2 to 6). And Mykorrhiza and water of course, for most plants. But the Moon is special in that it doesn't have erosion, the "dust" is in the form of microscopic shards, sticky and abrasive. While dry desert planets like Mars – with erosion — have mostly the Australian kind of fine dust, which also sticks to everything, but is not abrasive. Btw, there's also Orsol farming; growing them on a sponge, with nothing but some fertilizer juice. Though they are usually more bland, since they lack some micronutrients (due to the lack of Mykorrhiza, among others). permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] xav@programming.dev 3 points 8 months ago Funny I didn't know that word "Orsol". Guess it's another word coming directly from the French : "Hors-sol" (literally "out-of-the-ground" or "off-ground") which is used for growing plants in an artificial substrate. permalink fedilink source parent [–] tryplot@piefed.ca 1 point 8 months ago we'd be the compost planet. we'd live on their food scraps, and they'd harvest the results permalink fedilink source parent [–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 15 points 8 months ago (4 children) Sure, but the alternative is to stop destroying our own soils and respect our ecosystem, and humanity has proven it will take on any challenge except cleaning up after ourselves permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 months ago (3 children) Look at a Saturn V. Look at a bag of chickpeas. If you think somehow launching a Saturn V (at a minimum) to get back a bag of chickpeas is somehow better for our ecosystem, I think I see why humanity is doomed. Space Nuttery is not the solution to anything. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 3 child comments replies: [–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago (1 child) That’s exactly what I mean - we come up with all sorts of madness to grow food and obtain resources from further away. And society completely glosses over how impractical and wasteful it all is. Meanwhile, what we could use is treat our planet properly and succeed with the amazing gifts it already provides. We are the only species that seems hell bent on sh*tting where we eat, and we come up with these inefficient strategies all to avoid cleaning up after ourselves permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago Oh, you're right, I didn't register your meaning, I get so upset whenever I see Space Nuttery I lose all civility. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Jolteon@lemmy.zip 1 point 8 months ago I was thinking this was future planning for the other direction. While actually having a permanent colony of civilians on the moon is unrealistic, having a layover/fueling station on the moon that will have a small population of researchers, engineers, etc. is actually pretty feasible, and any mass sent up there will still be expensive. Shipping seeds is significantly cheaper than shipping food, and dirt is heavy, so you want to ship as little of it as possible. If it's possible to grow stuff in lunar soil, that drastically decreases the amount of mass that needs to be sent. permalink fedilink source parent [–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago It's coarse and rough and irritating and gets everywhere. permalink fedilink source parent [–] scarabic@lemmy.world 1 point 8 months ago* I’ve also learned about it being sharp. What I haven’t heard answered is this. It’s sharp because there’s no weather to wear it down. If there were, how easily would it wear down? Does it crumble the second anything touches it? Being sharp and staying sharp are two different things. How much of a threat is this stuff, actually? permalink fedilink source parent
[+] ameancow@lemmy.world 28 points 8 months ago* (5 children) [deleted] permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 5 child comments replies: [+] melfie@lemy.lol 9 points 8 months ago* (1 child) [deleted] permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] eleitl@lemmy.zip 3 points 8 months ago Perchlorates are water-soluble, and there is lots of ice on Mars. But people won't live there sustainably, so there is no point to it. permalink fedilink source parent [–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 child) because hot damn, that shit doesn't exist anywhere else that we know of. Soil is a product of millions of years of complex interactions between plants, bacteria and water and fungus and other life forms. Actually, you only need ground bedrock, some organic matter and some bugs & and worms and a few years (like, 2 to 6). And Mykorrhiza and water of course, for most plants. But the Moon is special in that it doesn't have erosion, the "dust" is in the form of microscopic shards, sticky and abrasive. While dry desert planets like Mars – with erosion — have mostly the Australian kind of fine dust, which also sticks to everything, but is not abrasive. Btw, there's also Orsol farming; growing them on a sponge, with nothing but some fertilizer juice. Though they are usually more bland, since they lack some micronutrients (due to the lack of Mykorrhiza, among others). permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] xav@programming.dev 3 points 8 months ago Funny I didn't know that word "Orsol". Guess it's another word coming directly from the French : "Hors-sol" (literally "out-of-the-ground" or "off-ground") which is used for growing plants in an artificial substrate. permalink fedilink source parent [–] tryplot@piefed.ca 1 point 8 months ago we'd be the compost planet. we'd live on their food scraps, and they'd harvest the results permalink fedilink source parent
[+] melfie@lemy.lol 9 points 8 months ago* (1 child) [deleted] permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] eleitl@lemmy.zip 3 points 8 months ago Perchlorates are water-soluble, and there is lots of ice on Mars. But people won't live there sustainably, so there is no point to it. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] eleitl@lemmy.zip 3 points 8 months ago Perchlorates are water-soluble, and there is lots of ice on Mars. But people won't live there sustainably, so there is no point to it. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 child) because hot damn, that shit doesn't exist anywhere else that we know of. Soil is a product of millions of years of complex interactions between plants, bacteria and water and fungus and other life forms. Actually, you only need ground bedrock, some organic matter and some bugs & and worms and a few years (like, 2 to 6). And Mykorrhiza and water of course, for most plants. But the Moon is special in that it doesn't have erosion, the "dust" is in the form of microscopic shards, sticky and abrasive. While dry desert planets like Mars – with erosion — have mostly the Australian kind of fine dust, which also sticks to everything, but is not abrasive. Btw, there's also Orsol farming; growing them on a sponge, with nothing but some fertilizer juice. Though they are usually more bland, since they lack some micronutrients (due to the lack of Mykorrhiza, among others). permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] xav@programming.dev 3 points 8 months ago Funny I didn't know that word "Orsol". Guess it's another word coming directly from the French : "Hors-sol" (literally "out-of-the-ground" or "off-ground") which is used for growing plants in an artificial substrate. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] xav@programming.dev 3 points 8 months ago Funny I didn't know that word "Orsol". Guess it's another word coming directly from the French : "Hors-sol" (literally "out-of-the-ground" or "off-ground") which is used for growing plants in an artificial substrate. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] tryplot@piefed.ca 1 point 8 months ago we'd be the compost planet. we'd live on their food scraps, and they'd harvest the results permalink fedilink source parent
[–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 15 points 8 months ago (4 children) Sure, but the alternative is to stop destroying our own soils and respect our ecosystem, and humanity has proven it will take on any challenge except cleaning up after ourselves permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 months ago (3 children) Look at a Saturn V. Look at a bag of chickpeas. If you think somehow launching a Saturn V (at a minimum) to get back a bag of chickpeas is somehow better for our ecosystem, I think I see why humanity is doomed. Space Nuttery is not the solution to anything. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 3 child comments replies: [–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago (1 child) That’s exactly what I mean - we come up with all sorts of madness to grow food and obtain resources from further away. And society completely glosses over how impractical and wasteful it all is. Meanwhile, what we could use is treat our planet properly and succeed with the amazing gifts it already provides. We are the only species that seems hell bent on sh*tting where we eat, and we come up with these inefficient strategies all to avoid cleaning up after ourselves permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago Oh, you're right, I didn't register your meaning, I get so upset whenever I see Space Nuttery I lose all civility. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Jolteon@lemmy.zip 1 point 8 months ago I was thinking this was future planning for the other direction. While actually having a permanent colony of civilians on the moon is unrealistic, having a layover/fueling station on the moon that will have a small population of researchers, engineers, etc. is actually pretty feasible, and any mass sent up there will still be expensive. Shipping seeds is significantly cheaper than shipping food, and dirt is heavy, so you want to ship as little of it as possible. If it's possible to grow stuff in lunar soil, that drastically decreases the amount of mass that needs to be sent. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 months ago (3 children) Look at a Saturn V. Look at a bag of chickpeas. If you think somehow launching a Saturn V (at a minimum) to get back a bag of chickpeas is somehow better for our ecosystem, I think I see why humanity is doomed. Space Nuttery is not the solution to anything. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 3 child comments replies: [–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago (1 child) That’s exactly what I mean - we come up with all sorts of madness to grow food and obtain resources from further away. And society completely glosses over how impractical and wasteful it all is. Meanwhile, what we could use is treat our planet properly and succeed with the amazing gifts it already provides. We are the only species that seems hell bent on sh*tting where we eat, and we come up with these inefficient strategies all to avoid cleaning up after ourselves permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago Oh, you're right, I didn't register your meaning, I get so upset whenever I see Space Nuttery I lose all civility. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Jolteon@lemmy.zip 1 point 8 months ago I was thinking this was future planning for the other direction. While actually having a permanent colony of civilians on the moon is unrealistic, having a layover/fueling station on the moon that will have a small population of researchers, engineers, etc. is actually pretty feasible, and any mass sent up there will still be expensive. Shipping seeds is significantly cheaper than shipping food, and dirt is heavy, so you want to ship as little of it as possible. If it's possible to grow stuff in lunar soil, that drastically decreases the amount of mass that needs to be sent. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago (1 child) That’s exactly what I mean - we come up with all sorts of madness to grow food and obtain resources from further away. And society completely glosses over how impractical and wasteful it all is. Meanwhile, what we could use is treat our planet properly and succeed with the amazing gifts it already provides. We are the only species that seems hell bent on sh*tting where we eat, and we come up with these inefficient strategies all to avoid cleaning up after ourselves permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 1 child comment replies: [–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago Oh, you're right, I didn't register your meaning, I get so upset whenever I see Space Nuttery I lose all civility. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 2 points 8 months ago Oh, you're right, I didn't register your meaning, I get so upset whenever I see Space Nuttery I lose all civility. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Jolteon@lemmy.zip 1 point 8 months ago I was thinking this was future planning for the other direction. While actually having a permanent colony of civilians on the moon is unrealistic, having a layover/fueling station on the moon that will have a small population of researchers, engineers, etc. is actually pretty feasible, and any mass sent up there will still be expensive. Shipping seeds is significantly cheaper than shipping food, and dirt is heavy, so you want to ship as little of it as possible. If it's possible to grow stuff in lunar soil, that drastically decreases the amount of mass that needs to be sent. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago It's coarse and rough and irritating and gets everywhere. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 1 point 8 months ago* I’ve also learned about it being sharp. What I haven’t heard answered is this. It’s sharp because there’s no weather to wear it down. If there were, how easily would it wear down? Does it crumble the second anything touches it? Being sharp and staying sharp are two different things. How much of a threat is this stuff, actually? permalink fedilink source parent