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Move over Mark Watney... Scientists have found a way to grow potatoes on Mars (well, sort of)

Researchers have grown ‘super potatoes’ by simulating the extreme conditions of the Red Planet.
Researchers have grown ‘super potatoes’ by simulating the extreme conditions of the Red Planet. Researchers have grown ‘super potatoes’ by simulating the extreme conditions of the Red Planet.

Ever since we watched Mark Watney (aka Matt Damon) grow potatoes on the Red Planet in the sci-fi blockbuster The Martian, we fell in love with the idea that one day, we too, would be eating spuds on Mars.

But can we really grow this starchy vegetable on Mars?Well, here’s some good news. It appears a group of researchers in Peru believe Martian potatoes are possible. But this isn’t just any normal potato you would buy from a supermarket shelf. Working with scientists at Nasa, researchers from the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Peru and the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Lima have conducted a series of experiments and found a potato variety that could survive and thrive in the extreme environment of Mars.

They say this crop is suited to the planet’s high carbon dioxide atmosphere and freezing temperatures.The experiment began in 2016 – a year after the Hollywood film The Martian was released.Scientists built a simulator inside a CubeSat satellite mimicking the Red Planet’s frosty sub-zero temperatures, high carbon monoxide concentrations, the air pressure found at 6,000 metres (19,700 feet) altitude and a system of lights imitating the Martian day and night.The researchers even managed to find Mars-like soil in the Pampas de La Joya desert in Southern Peru to use in the experiment.

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“Growing crops under Mars-like conditions is an important phase of this experiment,” said Julio Valdivia-Silva, one of the researchers involved in the project. “If the crops can tolerate the extreme conditions that we are exposing them to in our CubeSat, they have a good chance to grow on Mars. “We will do several rounds of experiments to find out which potato varieties do best. We want to know what the minimum conditions are that a potato needs to survive.”Researchers planted tubers in the soil and sealed the CubeSat.

Potatoes in Mars experiment.
Potatoes in Mars experiment.
(CIP /Nasa/UTEC Potatoes in Mars/YouTube screenshot)

Live-streaming cameras caught every tiny movement as a bud sprouted and grew several leaves while sensors provided around-the-clock monitoring of simulator conditions.The winning potato – the one that managed to thrive in the CubeSat’s harsh conditions – was a variety called “Unique”.“It’s a ‘super potato’ that resists very high carbon dioxide conditions and temperatures that get to freezing,” Valdivia said.We may still be decades away from setting foot on Mars but we bet Watney would be impressed.

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