Earthworms Reproduce in Simulated Mars Soil—a FirstScientists 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 WAMELINKA 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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