Crops grown in Martian soil are edible

[Techno-Druid]

https://futurism.com/crops-grown-in-...hy-and-edible/

A team of scientists from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands used soil developed by NASA that simulated the composition of Martian soil, and they grew crops on it. The verdict: Crops grown in Martian soil would be safe for humans to eat.

This research, which has been ongoing since 2013, adds to the ever-growing support for the idea of colonizing Mars, an ambition SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is serious in pursuing. And given this new study, he is definitely not alone. NASA plans to bring humans to Mars in the next 10 to 15 years, so does Dutch company Mars One (though the Mars One mission is a little suspect).

The team was able to grow radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes and have found them safe to eat, since they did not contain dangerous levels of heavy metals, which Mars is known to contain.

Abundant harvests of radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes all grown on the soil were found to contain “no dangerous levels” of heavy metals, said the team from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. “These remarkable results are very promising,” said senior ecologist Wieger Wamelink.

“We can actually eat the radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes, and I am very curious what they will taste like.”

Colonization of Mars would require almost 100% self-reliance as supplies needed by humans would take some time to reach the planet from Earth. So I'm pleased that agriculture is feasible on Mars.

[Ilir]

But did they eat them ?

[ItachiZaku]

We know, Matt Damon did it.

[Shinra1]

But what did they taste like?

- - - Updated - - -

We know, Matt Damon did it.

he only did it with potatoes.

[Deleted]

I'll wait for the first Mc Donalds on Mars.

[Thoughtcrime]

I mean, it makes sense. Soil is just crushed up bits of rock mixed with shit and death. There's plenty of the former out in space, we just need to take the rest with us.

Edit: I read the article and it's a little vague on the method but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. In my original comment I was being blunt and silly but the point was that soil isn't that hard to make, you just need to crush up rocks and mix it with some water to create the conditions long enough to support the organisms needed to sustain it. What happened many times on Earth is that areas with a history of glaciation became incredibly fertile due to erosion caused by the massive amounts of ice grinding down rocks as it slowly moved over the surface. When the ice finally receded and organisms could take hold exceptionally fertile soil was left behind. This is one of the reasons why areas like Australia are largely so barren, limited glaciation = poor soil. This is pretty basic for us to reproduce, we've been doing it for thousands of years.

There's nothing inherently magical about Earth soil. It could be reproduced anywhere, and I'm going to assume the scientists were thorough in their methods to create the correct composition and high metal content of their 'martian' soil, add to that we also know we can engineer crops to grow in zero g so Mars' lower gravity shouldn't be an overwhelming factor either.

That we 'could' literally follow Matt Damon's lead and grow some crops in a limited capacity is quite exciting, but I still think bringing up terraforming anytime...well ever...is a stretch.

[Flarelaine]

Best take on colonising Mars I've read was Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. They take it much further than growing radish. (Hugo Award in 2006.)

[Jimson]

I'll wait for the first Mc Donalds on Mars.

And the subsequent MMO-C Gen OT post, "Do you eat McDonald's on Mars?" with a bunch of Martian colonists replying to say that McDonald's is disgusting and they'd rather starve to death.

[Techno-Druid]

Best take on colonising Mars I've read was Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. They take it much further than growing radish. (Hugo Award in 2006.)

Read the plot synopsis, looks fucking insane. I'll definitely have to check that one out.

[Deleted]

Btw, if I was an astronaut going to mars I would take a Mars bar with me so when people ask what I ate on Mars I can say I ate a Mars.

[Flarelaine]

Read the plot synopsis, looks fucking insane. I'll definitely have to check that one out.

It is insane (too bad the sequels don't deliver).

My favourite snippet:

"But terraforming Mars would take at least..."
"Yes."

[GennGreymane]

I'll wait for the first Mc Donalds on Mars.

Agreed. I'll hold ya to it

[Allybeboba]

Mars in 10-15 years? That is a mighty tall task.
NASA can't even get humans into orbit since the demise of the Space Shuttle program.

[Deleted]

Using Mars as a giant farm makes more sense than colonising it, lower gravity alone makes proper colonisation impossible.

[Deleted]

Using Mars as a giant farm makes more sense than colonising it, lower gravity alone makes proper colonisation impossible.

Farm for what? Might as well terraform the Sahara and Antarctica.

[Elim Garak]

The only problem: there's no soil on Mars. Only rocks, sand and ice.

[Revi]

Hmm. I would wager they took fertile soil and added heavy metals and stuff. Neat to know it's not absorbed into the vegetables, but far from a realistic simulation of martian conditions.

Clickbait title.

[PC2]

So I'm pleased that agriculture is feasible on Mars.

Yeah because food is a controllable process. It's a myth that you need a large planetary ecosystem to have agriculture.

[Deleted]

Farm for what? Might as well terraform the Sahara and Antarctica.

How exactly do you want to TERRAform only a part of the planet?

[Hammerfest]

So... what makes this soil "Martian?"