Scientists Are Sending Cannabis Seeds to Space

He’s besides not nan only interrogator moving to expose plants to higher radiation levels than antecedently studied. Porterfield, who is 1 of nan scientists moving connected NASA’s LEAF mission—a lunar plant-growth research that will spell to nan satellite pinch Artemis III successful 2027—says we cognize “almost nothing” astir nan effect of radiation vulnerability beyond debased Earth orbit. Understanding really variability successful radiation impacts plants will beryllium a “critical focus” of nan LEAF mission.

“We’ve been trapped successful little orbit for nan past 30 years and haven’t precocious a batch of nan basal investigation that we request to spell to heavy space, wherever you find galactic cosmic radiation,” he says. “There whitethorn beryllium immoderate unexpected responses from this adaptable root of radiation. Plant responses to these radiation issues are going to beryllium important for early cultivation systems connected nan moon.”

Once MayaSat-1 has returned, for nan adjacent 2 years Radišič and his squad will activity pinch nan Faculty of Health Sciences astatine nan University of Ljubljana successful Slovenia to breed generations of clones from nan abstraction seeds to study familial changes and works adaptations, including “alterations successful cannabinoid profiles”—how overmuch CBD, THC, and different compounds nan plants spell onto develop. The 2nd shape of their study will past impact simulating Martian ungraded conditions and increasing plants successful controlled low-gravity environments connected Earth.

Lumír Ondřej Hanuš, a chemist astatine Palacký University Olomouc successful Czechia and Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has been studying nan cannabis works since nan 1970s. A investigation advisor connected nan project, he believes that location are “many possibilities” for technological investigation erstwhile nan seeds person returned.

As good arsenic imaginable familial and epigenetic changes, nan Martian Grow squad will look for structural and physiological changes, specified arsenic differences successful leafage size, chlorophyll content, guidelines architecture, photosynthetic rates, and h2o use. They will analyse what happens aft nan works is exposed to stressors specified arsenic disease, and analyse nan activity of enzyme hormones and secondary metabolites, which could lead to nan recognition of caller compounds.

“Whether location are changes aliases not, some results will beryllium important for nan future, truthful we cognize really to turn cannabis successful nan abstraction environment,” Radišič adds.

We’re still immoderate measurement disconnected from really increasing cannabis connected Mars, though, aliases immoderate works for that matter. Microgravity, utmost temperatures, deficiency of nutrients, and toxins successful nan ungraded do not make favorable conditions for cultivation.

“We will person to accommodate to nan situation connected Mars, and slow accommodate our plants for them to survive,” says Petra Knaus, nan CEO of Genoplant. “For now, we judge it will only beryllium imaginable [to turn plants] successful a closed strategy instrumentality pinch nan conditions adapted.” For early missions, Genoplant is processing a caller abstraction capsule successful this vein, scheduled for its first reentry trial successful 2027, that will alteration researchers to turn seeds successful abstraction and show them for respective years.

While cannabis could perchance beryllium a supercrop for nan abstraction age, backmost connected Earth, it is still predominantly thought of arsenic a recreational supplier (albeit 1 wide utilized for medicinal purposes), which has prevented regulators and researchers from afloat acknowledging its technological potential. Hanuš is optimistic that nan findings from nan project, immoderate they look like, could dispel immoderate of this stigma and velocity up its technological acceptance.

“If absorbing results are published, it could velocity up our knowing of cannabis,” he says. “It is simply a very important plant, which I deliberation has a large early if humanity ever crosses into abstraction and starts life connected different planet.”