Tag Archives: cultivate

Revolutionary Lunar Botanist Aims to Cultivate Vegetables on the Moon

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Astronaut Mark Watney’s journey to grow potatoes on Mars in the film Martian may be fiction, but real-world astrobotanists like Jessica Atkin are making strides in the field. As NASA gears up to establish a sustainable lunar base through the Artemis II mission, the need for skilled individuals who can cultivate crops off Earth is becoming paramount.

Establishing a self-sufficient moon base poses challenges, including the requirement for colonists to harvest water from lunar ice and contend with the inhospitable lunar regolith. Atkin’s groundbreaking research, undertaken at Texas A&M University, demonstrates that chickpeas can sprout when lunar regolith is treated with a blend of organic materials and particular fungi. Her work recently earned her a significant NASA grant to advance research on lunar agriculture.

Atkin discussed her aspirations for a lunar greenhouse, the importance of her work, and what future astronauts can expect to eat on the moon.

Robin George Andrews: What motivated your interest in astrobotany?

Jessica Atkin: My passion for plants began in my childhood, specifically in my grandmother’s strawberry fields. Growing up on a ranch, I spent evenings pondering the possibilities of cultivating plants in space. My belief is that microbes could help us in the process of colonizing not just Earth but the Moon as well.

How did your military service shape your academic career?

My time in the military was a stepping stone to obtaining my college education without financial dependence on my family. I served as a police officer and trained the Iraqi police, experiences that taught me resilience and adaptability—qualities I now bring to my research.

Why grow crops in lunar regolith instead of transporting soil from Earth?

Transporting 1 pound to the Moon can cost around $100,000, making it impractical for sustaining long-term food growth. Instead, we’ll focus on leveraging hydroponics and other innovative methods, much like the systems used on the International Space Station (ISS).

What challenges does lunar regolith present for agriculture?

The structure of lunar regolith is detrimental to plant growth; its sharp, small particles can harm both plants and astronauts alike. Moreover, the chemical composition, while containing necessary nutrients, poses risks due to potentially toxic elements that can inhibit plant health.

Chickpea roots growing in simulated lunar regolith

Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife

What progress has been made in lunar agriculture?

Research teams, such as those from the University of Florida, have shown that plants like thale watercress can grow in actual lunar regolith samples collected during the Apollo missions. My initial research overlooked the vital role of microbes in plant growth, and I felt compelled to explore their significance further.

Your work emphasizes the importance of fungi in lunar agriculture.

Understanding that fungi can aid plants in establishing themselves on land here on Earth, I wanted to investigate if a similar symbiotic relationship could help plants thrive in lunar regolith.

Why did you choose chickpeas as a candidate for lunar cultivation?

Chickpeas are often overlooked as crops, yet they are rich in protein and serve as a vital food source. Unlike typical crops like lettuce and tomatoes, chickpeas are resilient and capable of thriving in harsh conditions, making them ideal for lunar agriculture.

Before your NASA grant, you pioneered research in your home.

My living room transformed into a botanical lab, as I knew that exploring these experiments was crucial when few others were doing so.

Were you able to utilize real lunar regolith in your studies?

Full samples of lunar regolith are scarce and heavily guarded at NASA’s Johnson Space Center; thus, I utilized lunar simulants created from terrestrial volcanic rock to replicate the lunar environment effectively.

Jessica Atkin with chickpeas in simulated moon dust

Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife

What is the current state of your lunar agriculture research?

Atkin’s ongoing studies focus on combining fungi with compost to ascertain the optimal amount of organic material that will successfully nourish plants and microbes in lunar regolith. Remarkably, chickpeas have shown rapid germination, hinting at a potential agricultural revolution on the Moon.

What obstacles do you foresee for future lunar vegetable gardens?

The elevated radiation levels on the Moon and its gravitational differences can significantly alter plant growth, making effective lighting and optimal watering strategies crucial. This will necessitate specially designed, isolated greenhouses to protect both astronauts and plants from lunar dust.

What is your vision for the future of astronaut diets?

I believe the diet of astronauts will increasingly rely on shelf-stable and packaged foods, with legumes like chickpeas providing essential nutrients. The future could even see the introduction of lunar-grown foods like space hummus!

What culinary delights do you envision in a lunar greenhouse?

I have a soft spot for fruits, particularly strawberries, which are currently undergoing tests for growth in space. NASA is exploring various crops, including strawberries in space.

How do you feel about being dubbed the Botanist of the Moon?

While it’s a niche title, I embrace it as an opportunity in a burgeoning field, especially as NASA’s Artemis program progresses. There will be high demand for specialized roles in space agriculture.

If given the opportunity, would you establish a lunar greenhouse?

Absolutely; it’s the realization of a lifelong dream! Being part of lunar exploration and agricultural innovation is something I would cherish deeply.

Reflecting on your early inspirations, what would your grandmother think of your journey?

Even though she’s no longer with us, I know she’d be immensely proud of my achievements. Her support always motivated me, and I hope to honor her legacy through my work in astrobotany.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Simple Strategies to Cultivate a Positive Mindset for Success

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Training without interruption fosters self-control

Miljko/Getty Images

Olivia Rems, a mental health researcher at the University of Cambridge and author of the book This is How You Grow After Trauma, provides insights into developing a healthier mindset. Her extensive research spans the mental health landscape in high-risk environments, such as the construction industry, and aims to assist women from disadvantaged backgrounds in reducing anxiety. Here, she shares three evidence-backed strategies to bolster your well-being, enhance self-control, and empower you to achieve your goals.

1. Engage in Small Daily Actions to Cultivate Self-Control

The findings from my research team at the University of Cambridge, alongside years of seminars and discussions, indicate that self-control is a crucial aspect of happiness. It fosters a sense of calm and enhances life satisfaction. Self-control involves the ability to think, act, or behave in accordance with your intentions, even when faced with challenges. Similar to a muscle, the more you exercise self-control, the stronger it becomes.

Numerous studies support this notion. In one research effort, participants faced self-control tasks, such as maintaining a grip on an object or avoiding thoughts about polar bears—a challenging directive. Post-experimental analysis revealed that those who engaged in daily self-control activities for two weeks displayed improved resilience in subsequent tasks compared to a control group. This suggests that consistent practice in self-control, even in minor ways, leads to lasting improvements across various life domains.

2. Avoid Daydreaming

Studies reveal that we often spend over a third of our day daydreaming, which can hinder productivity. While some daydreaming has its benefits, researchers from Harvard found that wandering minds are typically less happy. Their research revealed that distraction from current tasks negatively impacted participants’ overall well-being, even if the daydreams were pleasant. Being aware of the drawbacks of mind wandering empowers you to refocus your thoughts on tasks that enhance your happiness and productivity.

3. Craft Your Life Script

As you reflect on your goals for the year, consider what your life script would entail. What habits do you wish to cultivate? What achievements do you aspire to reach? Assess your current satisfaction in key life areas on a scale of 1 to 10, honing in on those you wish to improve. Focus on small, actionable steps to increase your satisfaction levels, as sustainable changes are key. For example, specify your goals with clarity, such as “I want to exercise for 20 minutes in the morning” rather than vague aspirations.

Research indicates that motivation often follows action. Therefore, start small—set achievable goals that lead you toward greater aspirations. Incremental progress can facilitate significant life changes.

As shared by Helen Thomson

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Source: www.newscientist.com

This Device Lets You Cultivate Your Own Meat at Home

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Growing your own fruits and vegetables isn’t a novel idea. But what if you could cultivate your own meat right at home? This is the vision that Japanese companies are striving to turn into reality.

Shojinmeat Project empowers individuals to grow their own meat, much like planting vegetables, without harming any animals in the process.

This innovation is known as cultivated meat, created by harvesting some animal cells and nurturing them in tanks referred to as bioreactors. It’s authentic meat, but it doesn’t come from farms or slaughterhouses.

What is the Shojinmeat Project?

Yuki Hanu serves as the founder and director of the Shojinmeat project, describing his company as a non-profit citizen science initiative. The goal is to allow chefs and food lovers to grow custom meat on location.

While the project hasn’t completely perfected the growth of whole pork cuts yet, it has made promising progress.

“We’ve successfully established completely DIY methods for cultivating animal cells,” Hanu remarks. The project plans to provide instructions for growing small amounts of meat at home, including a shopping list of easily accessible items you can find online or locally.

A spin-off of the Shojinmeat Project, Integrated Culture, has developed a bioreactor system that can be used in both household and restaurant settings. Although it’s pre-assembled and slightly less DIY than the Shojinmeat kit, Hanu claims it’s significantly cheaper than traditional lab-grade bioreactors used in commercial meat production.

Integrated Culture provides more variety; according to Hanu, their bioreactors can grow over 30 types of cells from various animals and fish. “However, it is an industrial process,” he adds.

In comparison, Shojinmeat suggests using chicken for home cultivation, as it’s easier to source and grow than other types of meat.

Individuals looking to grow their own meat can select from various Integrated Culture kits in different sizes or get advice from the Shojinmeat project to build their own setups – Credit: Shojinmeat Project

Understanding the Process

So, you’ve decided to grow your own chicken at home. What’s the first step? It’s time for some shopping.

The Shojinmeat project presents a list of items that can be sourced from supermarkets or online, amounting to around 60,000 yen (about £300 or $400).

Essential items to gather include fertilized chicken eggs, warm towels, sports drinks, and collagen-coated dishes, though you can modify the components as you like.

The aim is to replicate the conditions found in lab cell cultures. Hanu explains: “Once the right cells are placed in the appropriate medium, they will grow under the right conditions for a set duration.”

Once you’ve obtained everything necessary, extract the cells from the fertilized chicken eggs and maintain them at a temperature of 37°C (98.6°F) with a pH of 7.4.

This is where an incubator comes in handy, but fortunately, the towels can serve a warming purpose.

Chicken cells require attachment to a structure known as a cell scaffold, fulfilled by your collagen-coated dishes.

Additionally, the cells need a supply of sugar, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, which Hanu refers to as the “basal medium.” This is where your sports drink comes into play.

If you’re not inclined to manage all these individual components, you can opt for the Cellular Agriculture Starter Kit from Integrated Culture. It includes all essential basal media, serum, starter cells, and necessary cell scaffolds, though it starts at a minimum of £440 ($600).

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Safety is understandably a concern when preparing food, especially meat. However, according to Hanu, the key priority once you’re operational is to keep your equipment clean, which should help mitigate issues with your homemade meat.

“It’s crucial to prevent contamination from mold, bacteria, and other unwanted elements,” he points out. “This is the most frequent cause of failure in cell culture.”

One effective strategy is to add egg whites containing a naturally antibacterial protein called lysozyme. Although Hanu emphasizes this is not 100% foolproof, it’s just one of several measures to help your cells flourish.

Remember to cook your meat before consuming it, just like you would with any other raw chicken, to avoid foodborne illness.

Once operational, the primary challenge is maintaining a clean environment to prevent contamination – Credit: Shojinmeat Project

Results: A Small Yield

After all this effort, you may hope for sufficient cells to produce a whole roast chicken. However, you might come away a bit let down.

Hanu indicates that the Shojinmeat method can currently yield around one gram of edible meat.

“Creating meat effectively at home has been made possible through the development of equipment and protocols, but the volume and quality of what you can produce requires further consideration,” he states. “At present, it might be rather modest, but it’s termed ‘DIY cell culture.’”

Hanu acknowledges that his homemade meat sample was too small to be used in recipes, adding:

Not only is the quantity of homegrown meat lacking, but cultivated meat in laboratories can replicate intricate textures that mimic real meat fibers using plant fibers and 3D printing. However, homemade versions haven’t achieved this level yet.

“Generating full muscle tissue with marbling and texture involves sophisticated tissue engineering,” Hanu explains. “With our technology, our products are cultured cytoplasmic, yielding a final product more akin to spam or sausage.”

If you still dream of producing gourmet chicken sausage at home, these DIY kits could help make that a reality.

Who knows? In a few years, your newest kitchen gadget may not be an air fryer; instead, an incubator could be quietly nurturing your rib-eye steak right beside it.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com