Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Fertile Soil Found on Mars

By Colin Morton
Staff Writer

On Nov. 28, NASA hosted a study on earthworms on whether or not they can reproduce in synthetic Martian soil.  The decomposers successfully reproduced, and it told scientists something big.  This discovery is a major one because it indicated to scientists that earth on Mars could possibly be able to produce live crops. 
  Previously, soil on Mars was thought to be poisonous with toxic compounds; therefore, it was deemed inhospitable to crops.  Biologist Wieger Wamelink told National Geographic, “It's possible to sustainably grow crops on Mars, but to do this, they'll need to modify the planet's dirt. Earthworms may help.” 
  Although the test soil is not directly derived from Mars, the compound is a very close replica.  It is only missing one chemical to be an exact recreation, and that chemical is called a “perchlorate.”  Perchlorate isn’t naturally found on Earth, therefore it must be created in a lab.  The reason for perchlorate not being in the synthetic soil is because the chemical hasn’t been 100% perfected yet.  Scientists don’t want to introduce the foreign substance until they know it is a valid replica.
  Worms play a magnificent role in every possible environment.  They are known as “decomposers.”  Decomposers are the organisms that break down dead animals and plants, and turn them into nutrients for more plants to grow.  If all the decomposers were to disappear from the environment, everything would be destroyed.
  This information is important because if the worms are able to reproduce in this soil, there may be a chance that life is possible on Mars.