So thats what the aliens eat on mars?

Martian soil could grow turnips, Phoenix finds

* 22:14 26 June 2008
* NewScientist.com news service
* Rachel Courtland

LOL this is cool i guess.I searched ats and this has not been posted.So i guess our nearby brothers are vegetarians.
space.newscientist.com...
Some Martian dirt has the same basic chemistry as garden soil, a new analysis from the Phoenix lander suggests. The find widens the range of organisms that might be able to live on Mars.

Although the analysis is not yet complete, the lander has already found trace levels of nutrients like magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride. Although these ingredients were known to exist in Martian soil, until now no one was sure whether they would be soluble in water and thus potentially available for life.

if you could grow food on mars what would the radiation do to it and could you still eat it?

reply to post by slayerfan


found this...Radiation does not harm food. Radiation in food is very harmful. One needs to make the distinction. Without entering into the debate, about whether microwave ovens harmed food, destroyed vitamins, etc., the irradiation of food in general, and by most researchers, has not been considered as being harmful. In fact it has been found to been very beneficial, for the same reasons that we cook and preserve any food.

However, radiation in food is very harmful because it is then absorbed by the consumer. Radioactive particles give off energy. This energy weakens, destroys, or otherwise harms cells. One might picture it as little microwave ovens, inside the body, cooking it from the inside. What is cooked are the cells in the body. Just like with any burn, there may be degrees. Sometimes a cell is destroyed completely and if enough are destroyed then we become sick, weaken, or die. Other times, radiation may only damage or deform the cells. The deformed cells may multiply, causing cancer which is one of the main longterm concerns about radiation.

reply to post by slayerfan



Very good question...one NASA better find an answer to if they ever hope of sending men there.

reply to post by alienstar

thanks that sums it up vary well.we dont want to go thare and live of the garden.unless its a one way trip.than mise well.

Thats easy




i guess as long as they dont eat humans ...

from what i have heard most plant life should be able to grow quite succesfully, dont think id be going there anytime soon, i hate vegetables


[edit on 2-7-2008 by Demandred]

So if the soil is much like garden soil then what do the scientist say is the prohibiting factor in indigenous flora? Is it the lack of constant water or is there more to it?

reply to post by alienstar


Thanks for posting, it's very interesting stuff. However, it did get me thinking, I don't believe that I have ever eaten a turnip in my life, nor do I think I could pick one out in a lineup. Well I guess I have something to google now. Good find, thanks alienstar.

It's very exciting that martian soil looks to be capable of something so common as growing vegetables. There are a host of reasons why these vegetables aren't already growing on the surface of Mars, of course, but those are all relative to the environment here on Earth and so there is no true frame of reference that can be used.

Hypothetically speaking, the radiation in food on Mars could very well be harmful to humans. But i've heard about microbes that can be very efficient when it comes to absorbing radiation. Given a few hundred millions of years, there's no telling what nature could cook up on a planet like Mars.

Hey this reminds me of that obscure movie Mission to Mars with Carrie Ann Moss in it.
I bought the DVD only cuz I like Carrie and Mars just fascinates me anyway. Remember they were growing a garden there. Hmmmmm...

You guys should check out J.P. Skipper's research about the anomalies on Mars. He has found some damn interesting stuff. Just snoop around the site a little and your mind will be blown.

marsanomalyresearch.com

Oh boy. Granny's in Hog Heaven!

I won't be able to get near the computer for the rest of the day. Bye.



sarc