News Gossip 24

If life can be possible anywhere other than Earth, then Mars seems to be standing at the forefront. Scientists have been exploring it for years. Scientists exploring the possibilities of life on Mars express the hope of launching many missions on this planet in the future. These may also have some long-term missions, in which the team of astronauts will ‘camp’ for a long time. One of the challenges of the mission will be to arrange food for the astronauts. They cannot be kept dependent on packaged food for long, so scientists are looking for ways to grow food on Mars. The climate of the Red Planet is becoming a problem in this mission. The soil and water of this planet are too harsh for crops. Now a high school student study has found that alfalfa plants and photosynthetic bacteria could help make Martian soil and water suitable for farming.

According to a Space.com report, Martian soil lacks organic nutrients, making it a challenge for scientists to grow crops on the Red Planet. Now, in a new study, researchers have examined ways to make the most of Mars’ soil and water. Because the soil of the Red Planet is mostly eroded from volcanic rock, scientists also used volcanic rocks in their experiments.

This research was led by Pooja Kashiviswanathan. She started this project when she was studying in a school in America. The researchers found that the alfalfa plant, which is commonly harvested and used as hay for cattle, grew well in soil that was low in nutrients. Not only this, the alfalfa plant also acts as a fertilizer for the soil.

The researchers were able to grow alfalfa plants on Martian soil without any nutrients. This suggests that this plant can be used to fertilize the soil of Mars. After this, other plants can also be grown there. Scientists also say that a photosynthetic and marine bacterial strain named Synechococcus sp. is effective in removing salt from the water present on Mars. Pooja Kashiviswanathan says she hopes our findings can support future NASA Mars missions.

It is worth noting that the soil and water used during the research was a mimic of Mars. The real challenge will come when plants will be grown in the samples brought from Mars. Nevertheless, this research can become a great hope for the future.