Space research has advanced significantly since NASA Mars exploration began in 1994.
Currently, with the participation of international space agencies and private companies, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the focus is on sending humans to the Red Planet.
However, there is still a very important challenge in this issue: how to sustain human life on Mars, taking into account the unfavorable atmosphere and lack of nutrients in the soil.
A plant that could support life on Mars
Faced with this problem, scientists from Mahidol University in Thailand have identified an aquatic plant, duckweed, as a potential solution to solve this problem.
This plant, also known as Wolfia, Limna, and watermeal, is found globally, including in bodies of water in Amazon.
They are small and green in color. They reproduce sexually and asexually, in addition to producing oxygen through the process of photosynthesis.
Duckweed – Image: Eak8dda/Getty Images
One notable aspect of Wolffia is its absence LeavesOr stems or roots, which makes it easy to grow in different environments.
Thai researchers, led by Tatpong Tuliyananda, conducted experiments on the plant in hypergravity conditions, similar to those found on Mars. The goal was to understand how plants react to changes in gravity.
The results showed that duckweed could contribute to oxygen-generating systems on Mars due to its ability to photosynthesize and also serve as a food source. Astronauts.
Tuliyananda pointed to the efficiency of the plant, noting that when it is consumed, 100% of it is used, which is promising for agriculture in space.
Furthermore, duckweed has remarkable resistance and does not deteriorate easily. This property makes it ideal for transportation on long space missions, such as those planned between Earth and Mars.
Hence, this discovery represents an important step in humanity’s journey towards proving its existence in it Marsoffers a viable solution to one of the greatest challenges in space exploration.
