Space is the place for future farming

Roof-top garden; kitchen garden; Bonsai garden; and now space garden. Well we are not talking about any AI (also known as Artificial Intelligence) based fantasy or Ripley’s Believe it or not type of stories.

We are talking about the space exploration of mankind that has gone so deep that today we are on the verge of reaching Mars to check if there is any life on the Red Planet or if there is any water source on the Earth’s moon so life can be made there. In this profound space voyage, researchers and scientists are now on the verge of another breakthrough of a space garden!

It has now been found that bacteria aboard the International Space Station aid in plant growth. Four species of such bacteria have been discovered onboard the International Space Station (ISS), one of which has been named after Indian biodiversity scientist Seyed Ajmal Khan. Well this could raise some concern given that we are living in the COVID pandemic times, which is ravaging the world and reeking destruction irrespective of caste, creed or religion. But in the case of the ISS bacteria discovery there is no reason to press the alarm button, as it is not a virus like COVID that is harmful to human beings. These four strains of bacteria, previously unknown to science, have been found growing on the International Space Station (ISS). For the last six years, scientists working with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been monitoring a number of locations on the ISS for bacterial growth, including dining tables and the station’s plant growth chamber. They have identified four strains in the latest discovery, all on equipment that has since returned to Earth and all belonging to a family of bacteria usually found in soil and freshwater. One is a species known as Methylorubrum rhodesianum.

The other three were from an entirely new species, named Methylobacterium ajmalii. If the finding sounds like the basis of a science-fiction horror film, you can take your rubber gloves off and put the anti-bacterial spray back under the sink. The bacteria are not only safe for humans, researchers say they could be beneficial for growing crops in the harsh environment of space. And this is what we are talking about as the futuristic space garden!

TV BRICS reports with reference to Trinity Mirror.

Photo: trinitymirror.net