Earthworms Reproduce in Simulated Mars Soil—a First

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Earthworms Reproduce in Simulated Mars Soil—a First
Scientists hope that common earthworms could one day be used to help humans grow crops on the red planet.
By Sarah Gibbens
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 28, 2017
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/11/mars-soil-earthworm-agriculture-science-spd/


NASA's simulated Mars soil and earthworms were used to grow arugula in this Dutch lab.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WIEGER WAMELINK


A number of conditions make Earth hospitable for life as we know it, and one of them is the soil in which we grow our food. It's full of a complicated mix of nutrients, bacteria, and fungi that allow plants to grow. By contrast, soil on Mars has been found to be sterile and full of potentially toxic compounds.

As humans race toward the red planet, how to live and eat once there will be a major hurdle. Scientists think it's possible to sustainably grow crops on Mars, but to do this, they'll need to modify the planet's dirt. Biologist Wieger Wamelink thinks earthworms may help.

At his Dutch research lab at Wageningen University, two small worms were recently born from a colony living in soil created by NASA to simulate the dirt found on Mars.

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[Doug Loss]

One of the big problems with all these experiments is that the Martian regolith simulant they use often doesn't have similar amounts of perchlorates as the real Martian regolith does.  Perchlorates are quite toxic and antibiotic.  If they don't include them, the experiments are next to meaningless.

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One of the big problems with all these experiments is that the Martian regolith simulant they use often doesn't have similar amounts of perchlorates as the real Martian regolith does.  Perchlorates are quite toxic and antibiotic.  If they don't include them, the experiments are next to meaningless.

Yup!

And perchlorates are difficult to remediate because the chlorine ion is in the center of the tetrahedron, so you can't just strip it away and replace it like is done with many contaminants.

[Cripplecreek]

One of the big problems with all these experiments is that the Martian regolith simulant they use often doesn't have similar amounts of perchlorates as the real Martian regolith does.  Perchlorates are quite toxic and antibiotic.  If they don't include them, the experiments are next to meaningless.

Yeah, they would need to start with something that could metabolize the perchlorates into something a little more life friendly.