For a long time, space was considered a static and cold place, where huge chunks of rock flew through the void without any changes for millions of years. However, a recent study by astronomers at the University of Maryland (UMD) paints a very different picture. It turns out that binary asteroid systems are veritable “cosmic sandboxes” where objects constantly interact, exchanging material in a remarkable way reminiscent of a slow game of snowballs.

Do you know that approximately one in six asteroids, or about 15%, flying past Earth are not actually “lone wolves”? These are binary systems where a smaller companion orbits a larger object. Previously, scientists believed that these pairs simply existed side by side under the influence of gravity, but data published in the Planetary Science Journal proves that there is a fairly close connection between them. 

The research team discovered that asteroids constantly “throw” rocks and dust at each other. These are not catastrophic collisions that tear celestial bodies apart, but gentle, almost delicate touches. These “cosmic kisses” gradually change the landscape of both bodies, transforming their surface into a dynamic environment that is constantly evolving.

Photographic evidence: a fan of dust and rocks

The key to the discovery was unique footage taken by a NASA spacecraft as part of the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission in 2022. Before deliberately crashing into the asteroid Dimorphos, the spacecraft managed to transmit extremely clear images of the surface to Earth. 

While analyzing these images, Professor Jessica Sunshine and her team noticed something strange — bright fan-shaped stripes stretching across the entire surface of Dimorphos. At first, scientists blamed camera defects or errors in data processing. But after carefully cleaning up the images, it became clear: what they were looking at was the first visual confirmation in history of the natural transfer of material from one asteroid to another.

“It looked as if someone had thrown space snowballs at the asteroid,” Professor Sunshine shares his impressions. These stripes are nothing more than “scars” from low-speed impacts left by material flying in from a neighboring asteroid.

Solar engine

Where does this “traveling rock” come from? Scientists explain this phenomenon as the YORP effect (the Yarkovsky–O’Keefe–Radzievsky–Paddack effect). This is a complex term for a fairly simple process: solar radiation heats the uneven surface of a small asteroid, causing it to spin faster and faster. 

When the rotational speed becomes critical, centrifugal force begins to exceed the weak gravity of the asteroid. Rock fragments, dust, and boulders lying on the surface of Didymos’ parent body simply fly off into open space. And since Dimorphos is nearby, a significant portion of this “debris” falls into its gravitational trap and gently settles on its surface. Thus, the Sun acts as an invisible engine, spinning asteroids into cosmic sprinklers.

Detective work with pixels

Finding these stripes was a real challenge. In the original DART images, they were almost invisible due to complex lighting and the play of shadows from numerous boulders. Tony Farnham and Juan Rizos from the University of Maryland have developed special algorithms to “remove” excess light and shadows.

The probe’s flight itself complicated the task: it approached its target in almost a straight line, which meant that the angle and lighting angle remained virtually unchanged. This created the illusion that the stripes might just be an optical effect. However, the creation of a 3D model of the asteroid put everything in its place. The more accurate the model became, the clearer the fan-shaped structures appeared. They were concentrated along the equator of Dimorphos — precisely where, according to the laws of physics, the material ejected from Didymos should have landed.

Physics of “soft” collisions

We are used to cosmic speeds of thousands of kilometers per hour, but in the world of double asteroids, everything is different. Harrison Agrusa’s research showed that debris from Didymos traveled toward the moon at a speed of only 30.7 cm/s. This is three times slower than a person walking at a normal pace in a park.

It is precisely thanks to this “turtle-like” speed that unique patterns are formed. Instead of creating huge craters, the rocks gently sink into the loose soil (regolith), leaving long rays of deposits. This is not destruction, but a gradual “increase” in the mass of the moon due to its “big brother.”

Checking the theory with sand

To finally confirm their hypothesis, scientists led by Esteban Wright conducted a series of experiments on Earth. At the UMD Institute of Physical Sciences and Technology, a special setup was created: balls were thrown at different angles into a container filled with sand mixed with colored gravel (simulating the surface of Dimorphos). 

High-speed cameras captured an incredible resemblance: when the “stranger” hit the boulders on the surface, some of the matter was deflected, while other matter penetrated through the cracks, forming the very fan-shaped rays that we see in photographs from space. Computer modeling at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory confirmed these results.

Next stop: the Hera mission

This discovery radically changes our understanding of how to protect Earth from asteroid threats. If we want to change the trajectory of an asteroid, we need to understand how dynamic it is and how it exchanges mass with its moons.

 

The next major event will take place in December 2026, when the European Space Agency (ESA) mission called Hera will arrive at the Didymos-Dimorphos system. It will conduct a thorough “inspection of the scene” after the DART impact. Scientists hope to see the very stripes that may not have been completely destroyed by the explosion and gain new insights into how this amazing cosmic conveyor belt works.

Earlier, we reported on how Hubble photographed the double tail of the asteroid Dimorphos.

• According to NASA JPL

• Posted in News, Science

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{ https://universemagazine.com/en/news-en/science-en/ }

09-03-2026 om 23:15 geschreven door peter  

The energy crisis is not just a global problem. If there are civilizations in the Universe that are thousands or millions of years ahead of us, their appetite for energy should be enormous. Instead of building thousands of thermonuclear reactors in an attempt to reproduce the processes inside stars, they could have taken a simpler and more logical approach: take a ready-made star and “wrap” it in a giant solar battery. New research by astronomers suggests that such objects should be sought not near bright giants, but near the modest “babies” of our Universe.

The Legacy of Freeman Dyson

The very idea of megastructures surrounding stars belongs to the outstanding theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson. Back in the 1960s, he suggested that any sufficiently developed civilization would sooner or later face a shortage of resources on its planet. One solution could be a “Dyson sphere” — a colossal structure made of mirrors or solar panels rotating around the sun, intercepting almost 100% of its radiation. 

Interestingly, Dyson himself initially referred to his idea as a “little joke” in conversations with journalists. However, over the years, he changed his mind, recognizing the concept as entirely viable and logical from a thermodynamic point of view. Today, the search for such structures is one of the priorities of SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence project), since a Dyson sphere is the most striking “technosignature” that can be detected from a distance of many light years.

Why are white and red dwarfs ideal candidates? 

In a new study published in Nature, astronomer Amirnezam Amiri from the University of Arkansas has revisited traditional views on where exactly to look for these megastructures. Most previous theories have focused on solar-type stars, but Amiri suggests turning our attention to low-mass stars: white dwarfs and red dwarfs.

Red dwarfs are the most common stars in our galaxy. They burn extremely slowly, providing energy to the surrounding space for trillions of years. White dwarfs are the remains of stars that have already “retired,” but they continue to steadily emit heat over enormous periods of time. 

According to Amiri’s calculations, these stars are the best sources for long-term energy supply to megastructures. They are stable, not prone to frequent catastrophic outbursts (like some massive stars), and allow for the creation of an energy system that will operate almost indefinitely. 

Compactness – the key to saving resources

One of the main problems with building the Dyson sphere is the incredible amount of materials required. To encircle the Sun at the distance of Earth’s orbit, it would be necessary to literally break down several planets the size of Jupiter into atoms. However, the rules of the game change for red and white dwarfs.

The habitable zone (where temperatures allow water to remain liquid) around a red dwarf is located very close to the star, typically between 0.05 and 0.3 astronomical units. For a highly developed civilization, this is the ideal place:

• Material savings. The sphere will have a much smaller radius, which means it will require significantly fewer resources to build.
• Efficiency. The closer the panels are to the light source, the more compact and manageable the entire energy farm is.
• Stability. A compact sphere is more easily held in place by the star’s gravity, reducing the risk of structural failure.

James Webb in search of alien engineers

The most practical part of Amiri’s research is devoted to how we can detect such objects from Earth. According to the laws of physics, the Dyson sphere cannot simply absorb energy — it has to release it somewhere (discharge excess heat), otherwise it will simply melt. This heat is emitted in the form of infrared light.

To an outside observer, a star in a “wrapper” will look very strange:

1. Abnormal dimness. The star will appear significantly fainter than it should be based on its mass.
2. Spectrum change. Instead of visible light, the observer will see a uniform “black” spectrum of infrared radiation.
3. Artificial signals. If the sphere consists of separate panels (a so-called “Dyson swarm”), they can create unusual flickering or radiation bursts that cannot be explained by natural processes.
4. No dust. Building the sphere requires a huge amount of matter, so the aliens will most likely “clean” the system of dust and asteroids, using them as raw materials.

Amiri claims that modern observatories, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), already have sufficient sensitivity to detect such infrared anomalies. We already have the tools to detect aliens — we just need to know what to look for.

Are we alone in the Universe?

Of course, Dyson spheres remain pure theory for now. Any such prediction is based on a number of assumptions: that aliens exist, that they develop according to similar physical laws, and that they want to build such large-scale objects in the first place. Perhaps they have found even more sophisticated ways of obtaining energy that we cannot even imagine.

However, such studies make us think about the future of humanity. If we want to survive as a species in the long term, we will have to become a “Type II civilization” on the Kardashev scale — one that completely controls the energy of its star. Studying possible Dyson spheres around white dwarfs is not only a search for “little green men,” but also an attempt to glimpse our own future millions of years from now.

Freeman Dyson once said that “The Universe is far more interesting than we can imagine.” And if somewhere in the depths of the Milky Way a red dwarf suddenly began to shine unusually dimly, it is possible that someone’s giant energy farm has been operating there for millions of years.

We previously reported that Jupiter should be destroyed to build a Dyson sphere around the Sun.

• According to Gizmodo

• Posted in News, Tech

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{ https://universemagazine.com/en/news-en/science-en/ }

09-03-2026 om 22:55 geschreven door peter  

All you need to know about missing former Air Force General with 'UFO secrets'

Retired US Air Force General William Neil McCasland vanished from his New Mexico home, with FBI joining search as journalist warns disappearance poses grave national security concerns

William Neil McCasland's disappearance has sparked major concerns 

(Image: United States Air Force)

NEED TO KNOW: UFO Expert and Ex-US Air Force General Vanishes

• Former US Air Force General William Neil McCasland has mysteriously vanished from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, sparking fears over national security.
• The 68-year-old, who has unprecedented knowledge of UFO sightings, disappeared without a trace after leaving his house on foot. He left his mobile phone behind and is believed to have medical issues.
• Local police have issued a Silver Alert and the FBI has joined the desperate search for the missing general.
• McCasland's disappearance has raised serious concerns due to his potential knowledge of highly classified extraterrestrial information. During his Air Force career, he oversaw research at the secretive Wright Patterson Air Force Base, long linked to UFO conspiracies and the infamous Roswell incident.
• Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart warned the situation amounts to a "grave national security crisis". "This is a man with some of the most sensitive secrets of the United States in his head," he said on his Reality Check podcast.
• Coulthart believes the timing is suspicious, coming after President Trump's recent comments about possible government knowledge of extraterrestrial contact. "The fact that Gen. Neil McCasland has disappeared off the face of the earth is a grave national security crisis for the United States of America," he added.
• However, neither law enforcement nor the FBI have publicly acknowledged the disappearance as suspicious or linked it to McCasland's former military position.
• READ THE FULL STORY: Disappearance of US Airforce General with 'top-secret UFO knowledge' is 'national crisis'

Disappearance of US Airforce General with 'top-secret UFO knowledge' is ‘national crisis'

A former US Airforce General has vanished after leaving his New Mexico home this week, sparking concerns about his well-being as well as the release of secrets he might know

The disappearance of a former US Airforce General who is believed to have unprecedented knowledge on reported UFO sightings has gone missing from his home in Alberquerque, New Mexico, sparking serious concerns for his safety.

Law enforcement in the area report that William Neil McCasland vanished without a trace after leaving his home on foot. A 'Silver Alert' has been made by the local County Sheriff’s Office, who have also asked the public to come forward with any information that may help find the retiree, who is believed to have "“medical issues", according to reports

Since the initial alert made, the FBI are believed to have joined the search efforts for the 68-year-old.

It is unknown why McCasland decided to leave his house or where he was heading, although he is believed to have his mobile phone behind before his unexplained departure.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office issued a Silver Alert for the missing retiree, seeking help from the public in locating him

(Image: Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office)

McCasland's disappearance has sparked national security concerns, with some stressing that the former Airforce general may have secret and highly sensitive knowledge relating to UFO sightings.

Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart told listeners to his “Reality Check” podcast that the incident ammounted to a "grave national security crisis", especially if McCasland has knowledge of supposed "extraterrestrials".

“This is a man with some of the most sensitive secrets of the United States in his head", warned Coulthart.

At one point during his illustrious Airforce career McCasland is believed to have overseen research at the secretive Wright Patterson Air Force Base, a site long associated by conspiracists with classified space weapons programmes as well as possible extraterrestrial sightings such as the infamous Roswell incident.

Coulthart also postured that the disappearance may be connected to recent comments by President Donald Trump on the possibility of the US Government having knowledge of extraterrestrial contact.

Trump has told the US Pentagon to "release" files related to aliens and UFOs

(Image: Getty)

“The timing is screechingly relevant,” Coulthart said. “The fact that Gen. Neil McCasland has disappeared off the face of the earth is a grave national security crisis for the United States of America."

"This is a man with some of the most sensitive secrets of the United States in his head."

While Coulthart is not alone in believing McCasland's disappearance to be suspicious, neither law enforcement nor the FBI have publicly acknowledged it as being so.

There has also been no official links made to McCasland's former position in the Airforce.

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{ https://www.dailystar.co.uk/latest/ufo }

09-03-2026 om 22:34 geschreven door peter  

Will Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Shock Humanity?

How humans might respond if the U.S. government confirms nonhuman intelligence.

 Reviewed by Michelle Quirk

Key points

• If governments confirm nonhuman intelligence, research suggests reactions will vary widely.
• People with high intolerance of uncertainty may struggle more when familiar assumptions about reality change.
• Preparing mental health systems to support vulnerable individuals will be important if disclosure occurs.

Source: Greg Rakozy / Unsplash

{ https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb }

09-03-2026 om 22:15 geschreven door peter  

See stunning photos of the Atacama Desert — the driest on Earth — blooming in winter for 1st time in a decade

For the first time in a decade, plants in the Atacama Desert have started flowering in the middle of winter, covering a portion of the driest desert on the planet in white and violet hues. 

The rare bloom is the result of rain in northern Chile during the Southern Hemisphere's fall. About 0.4 inches (11 millimeters) fell in mid-April, which combined with the morning fog known locally as "camanchaca" to activate vegetation that can remain dormant for up to 15 years. 

Two of the first species to color the landscape this year were the "pata de guanaco" (Cistanthe grandiflora), with its bright fuchsia-colored flowers, and the white "sighs of the field" (Nolana baccata).

The flowering has occurred in an area covering between 115 and 155 square miles (300 to 400 square kilometers), said César Pizarro, head of the Biodiversity Conservation section and Scientific Research at the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) in Atacama. A full flowering desert, which occurs in spring (September to October) due to winter rains, can extend over about 5,800 square miles (15,000 square km), with more than 200 species in bloom.

Typically, the desert flowers bloom in spring in years when at least 0.6 inches (15 mm) of rain falls between June, July and August. This is related to the El Niño phenomenon — which increases precipitations in Chile above average.

Related: 

• Rainforest of super trees descended from lost supercontinent Gondwana being created in Australia

In 2015, the rains fell in March, activating the vegetation in winter, just as is happening now. 

That year it also rained in July and August, causing the desert to explode with flowers in spring. 

But it's unclear if the same thing will occur this time. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast indicates that current ENSO-neutral conditions — a period when neither El Niño or La Niña are happening — will likely persist for one more month before transitioning to La Niña . This means that the drought will return, and the Atacama Desert will not have enough humidity to reactivate the vegetation during the cycle.

If precipitation occurs in the coming weeks, atmospheric humidity would be higher than normal, potentially causing a flowering desert in September. However, this is not forecast.

Alternatively, if La Niña occurs soon, the flower patches blooming this winter are probably the last ones that will be seen this decade (because of the El Niño, La Niña cycles), and there will not be a huge flowering next spring, Francisco Squeo, president of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) and researcher in the Department of Biology at the University of La Serena, told Live Science.

The rare winter flowering of the Atacama Desert is not without problems. The main one, according to María Fernanda Pérez, associate professor of ecology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile , is that pollinators do not arrive as quickly as the plants react to rain. "If the seeds germinate and flower but the pollinators do not arrive, the seeds run out," she told Live Science.

This is likely happening now, as there are currently no bees, moths, beetles or other pollinators present due to low temperatures, according to Pizarro. Only mites and a few reptiles, birds and mammals have been seen.

Herbaceous plants — like those flowering in the Atacama Desert — have a self-pollination mechanism that activates if a pollinator does not arrive in a given year. But this backup occurs late in flowering. 

A major scientific unknown is what happens if this decoupling between flowering and pollinators caused by anomalous events , persists over time, as no seeds would be added to the reserve of those that remain dormant for the next reactivation.

"This very arid soil houses a treasure. [A] seed bank that has been resilient," she said.

With climate change, anomalous events like this year's winter bloom could become more frequent, potentially meaning annual plants do not reproduce. The flowering desert would only be left with bulbous plants, drastically reducing its diversity, or leaving room for invasive species, Pizarro said.

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{ https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth }

09-03-2026 om 17:50 geschreven door peter  

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/science/ }

09-03-2026 om 16:43 geschreven door peter  

UFOs Seen Leaving Ocean Near Virgin Islands Feb 24, 2026, UFO UAP Sighting Paranormal News

Date of sighting: Feb 24, 2026

Location of sighting: Virgin Islands

Source: NUFORC

 

Guys this is rare, I mean really really rare. This is several small glowing UFOs coming out of the ocean off the coast of the Virgin Islands. You can see the water and myst rising from all around it and the lights rising up and out of our atmosphere. Since the earth is 75% covered in water, it makes sense that 75% or more of the alien bases on Earth are also underwater. Here is absolute proof of that. 

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily

 

Eyewitness states: 

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ 0

09-03-2026 om 16:14 geschreven door peter  

Geophysicist Stefan Burns has reported a recent surge in sightings of Oarfish, often nicknamed the “doomsday fish” because of their alleged connection to major natural disasters. These unusual deep-sea creatures have reportedly been spotted or washed ashore in several places recently, including California, Mexico, and Vietnam. 

Oarfish, known in Chinese as a dizhenyu or, earthquake fish, can grow to more than 30 feet in length and typically inhabit the deep ocean, far below the surface. Because they rarely appear near shore, beach stranding's are considered extremely uncommon. Some theories suggest they rise toward the surface when they somehow sense seismic activity before an earthquake, 

Kiyoshi Wadatsumi, a scientist who studies earthquakes at the nonprofit organization e-PISCO, said, “Deep-sea fish living near the sea bottom are more sensitive to the movements of active faults than those near the surface of the sea.” 

According to Kiyoshi Wadatsumi’s explanation, the recent sightings of oarfish in California, Mexico, and Vietnam may indicate that unusual activity is occurring in the deep waters of these regions. 

In a recent example, two rare oarfish, both still alive, washed ashore near Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, drawing attention from locals and researchers alike. (The second video shows an oarfish that had washed ashore in Mexico and was still alive.)

   

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{ https://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/ }

09-03-2026 om 16:04 geschreven door peter  

By Crisnel Longino

The emails organising the meeting involved redacted participants and an outside source, raising fresh questions about who was involved and why a supposedly closed programme was still being discussed at the highest levels of government. 

PHOTO Pixabay

For years the Pentagon insisted its secret UFO study programme quietly ended in 2012. But newly released Navy records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act have reignited the mystery.

The documents reveal that a classified briefing about the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, or AATIP, took place in March 2022 at a secure military facility in Washington.

The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) was a classified initiative within the U.S. Department of Defense focused on studying unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). Established in 2007, AATIP was spearheaded by the former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who advocated for its creation based on concerns that these unexplained sightings could pose national security risks. The program was funded through a budget allocation linked to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and operated largely outside public view.

How a Secret UFO Programme First Began

AATIP first emerged publicly in 2017 when reports revealed that the United States Department of Defense had quietly funded a programme to study unidentified aerial phenomena, commonly called UFOs. The initiative began in 2007 unde

The effort was strongly supported by former Nevada senator Harry Reid, who believed unusual aerial encounters reported by military personnel deserved serious investigation. The programme focused on incidents involving aircraft and objects performing manoeuvres that appeared to defy known technology.

Many of these encounters involved Navy pilots who reported observing mysterious craft moving at extreme speeds or changing direction in ways conventional aircraft could not achieve. The best known example is the famous 'Tic Tac' incident involving the USS Nimitz carrier strike group in 2004.

The programme was reportedly run by counterintelligence officer Luis Elizondo, who later resigned from the Pentagon in 2017 and became a public figure in the push for greater transparency on UFO investigations.

Although the Department of Defense later acknowledged AATIP existed, officials maintained the programme had a limited scope and was closed years earlier.

What FOIA Emails Reveal About the 2022 Briefing

The newly released Navy records tell a more complicated story. Two separate FOIA requests submitted nearly a year apart both produced the same responsive document. It was a chain of emails arranging a 23 March 2022 briefing covering AATIP and another Pentagon office called the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronisation Group, known as AOIMSG.

The event was divided into three sessions. One was unclassified and scheduled to last about 50 to 55 minutes followed by a short question session. Two other presentations were classified at the TS SCI level, meaning Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information.

Those classified discussions took place inside a secure facility known as a SCIF located in Roosevelt Hall at the National War College on the Fort McNair campus in Washington.

Perhaps the most striking detail in the released records is that the original invitation email was labelled as coming from a non Department of Defense source. This suggests the briefing was arranged through communication between government officials and at least one outside individual or organisation.

However the identities of the participants remain hidden. All names and contact details were removed from the documents under FOIA privacy rules.

Redacted Names Hint at Possible Key Figures

Although the released documents conceal the names involved, the structure of the FOIA requests provides clues.

One request specifically searched for emails sent to or from Brennan P McKernan, who has previously been reported as a director connected to the Pentagon's UAP task force. Another request required the keyword 'Elizondo' and sought communications involving Luis Elizondo as a private citizen.

The fact that the email chain was considered responsive to both searches strongly suggests those names appear somewhere within the redacted header fields such as the sender or recipient lines.

This does not prove either individual attended the briefing. But it indicates that their names were at least mentioned in connection with the planning or communication surrounding the event.

All identifying information was removed under FOIA exemption rules protecting personal privacy.

Why the Briefing Raises New Questions About AATIP

The March 2022 presentation is notable because it took place years after AATIP was officially said to have ended.

The briefing itself was described as an 'AATIP AOIMSG Presentation,' suggesting that the earlier programme was being discussed alongside its successor office. AOIMSG was established in 2021 to coordinate the Pentagon's approach to unidentified airborne objects.

The presentation reportedly included discussion of congressional reports and multiple 'Tic Tac' incidents. That wording is significant because public attention has largely focused on a single encounter involving the USS Nimitz. The use of the plural term suggests that other similar events may have been examined during the classified briefing.

While the released emails do not confirm who attended or what information was presented behind closed doors, they show that AATIP remained part of official discussions within secure military settings.

{ https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trending }

08-03-2026 om 22:38 geschreven door peter  

Can we grow life on Mars? Experiments show potential in simulated extraterrestrial soil

by Texas A&M University

Life's capacity to survive in simulated lunar and Martian soils has been explored in two papers published in Scientific Reports. Treating simulated lunar soil with both symbiotic fungi and worm-produced compost can significantly improve the likelihood of reproduction for chickpea plants growing in the soil, indicates one study. A separate paper suggests that some microbes may be able to absorb enough water from the atmosphere to grow in simulated Martian soil at atmospheric humidity levels comparable to those on the planet.

Lunar soil—known technically as lunar regolith—does not support healthy plant growth, as it contains high concentrations of certain metals such as aluminum and zinc, does not allow water to filter through easily, and lacks the microbiome found in Earth soils. Previous research has investigated several ways to improve the fertility of lunar soil, although plants grown in these treated soils typically display various signs of stress, including stunted growth and leaf yellowing.

Jessica Atkin and colleagues grew chickpea plants (Cicer arietinum) in samples of simulated lunar soil that they treated in two ways: by adding vermicompost—produced by red wiggler earthworms (Eisenia fetida) as they decompose biowaste—at different concentrations; and by inoculating half of the soil samples at each concentration with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). On Earth, AMF improve the nutrient circulation properties of soil, reduce the quantity of potentially toxic metals available for absorption by plants, and produce a protein that helps bind soil together to reduce erosion. The authors then measured the quantity and weight of chickpea seeds produced, along with the plants' heights and root mass.

The authors found that chickpeas could only flower and produce seeds in samples treated with both AMF and vermicompost. Compared with control plants grown in 100% commercial potting mix, the treated plants in simulated lunar soil produced a significantly lower number of seeds. However, the average seed weight was comparable between plants grown in 25% and 50% vermicompost and the control plants. AMF-treated plants also had a significantly greater dry shoot and root mass than untreated plants, indicating improved plant growth.

The authors therefore suggest that soil regeneration strategies from Earth may be viable on the moon. However, they caution that all plants grown in some percentage of lunar soil simulant showed signs of stress compared to the control plants.

In a separate study, Jyothi Raghavendra and colleagues investigated growing conditions for microbes in simulated Martian soil. For 60 days, they measured the mass of DNA present in 500 milligrams of simulated soil, kept in a sterile environment at 34% atmospheric humidity—comparable humidity to conditions on Mars.

The authors found that the DNA mass increased up to day 30, indicating that microbes already present in the soil grew despite the inhospitable conditions. However, the measured DNA mass had decreased back to zero by day 60. Raghavendra and co-authors argue that their results could inform experiments to determine habitability conditions for microbes on Mars.

{ https://phys.org/space-news/ }

08-03-2026 om 21:33 geschreven door peter