Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
Does the idea of lunar hummus sound strange to you? Scientists have grown chickpeas on Earth using dirt similar to lunar soil. This will eventually help astronauts grow their own food during long trips to the moon.
Scientists found that they could grow chickpeas in soil made mostly from “moon dirt” based on samples brought back by Nasa’s Apollo missions over 50 years ago. The chickpea variety is called “Myles”.
They were grown in a special growth chamber at Texas A&M University in the United States. The seeds were covered with helpful fungi and planted in a mix of fake lunar soil made by a company in Florida and a special nutrient-rich material.
Chickpeas that could be gathered as food grew in soil mixtures with up to 75 per cent “lunar soil”. Seeds planted in 100 per cent failed to blossom.
