Moon Soil Can Be Used To Grow Plants And Scientists Have Proof

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For the first time in history, scientists have successfully grown plants in lunar soil brought back from the moon by the Apollo astronauts fifty years ago. NASA's Artemis mission plans to return humans to the moon by 2025. It would be the first crewed lunar landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. Alongside the U.S., China and Russia are also pursuing lunar research and, towards that end, have partnered up to build a joint lunar station.

With NASA and other space agencies spending much of their resources on exploring Mars, the moon has taken a backseat for space researchers and astronauts in recent decades. However, all that is about to change soon, especially with the Artemis program mentioned above that was announced back in 2017. As part of the program, NASA plans to explore the lunar South Pole and build a long-term human presence on the Moon.

Related: Elon Musk's Stark Warning To Those Planning On Moving To Mars

In a study published in the journal Communications Biology, researchers at the University of Florida Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research said they planted thale cress seeds (scientific name: Arabidopsis thaliana) in vials containing lunar regolith. Lunar soil is starkly different from the soil on earth and contains glass fragments that are «quite sharp and angular,» according to geologist Stephen Elardo. It also contains metallic iron and lacks organic material, unlike terrestrial soil. Given the significant differences in properties between soil on earth and soil on the moon, researchers were unsure whether the seeds would germinate, but to their surprise, they did.

According to Anna-Lisa Paul, the study's co-leader, the researchers were elated with the «abundance of green sprouts all over