There are ten days left to apply for the Vast x Explorers Club Grant, a new opportunity made possible through our partnership with Vast, the leader in developing next-generation space […]
Space Agriculture
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Sample Return, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Extreme Environmental Tolerance And Space Survivability Of The Moss, Physcomitrium patens
Climate change highlights the importance of understanding life’s survival limits for addressing global challenges and supporting future human habitation beyond Earth. Plants, as photosynthetic organisms, play a vital role in […]
Posted inLife Support Systems, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Status Report
Understanding The ‘Spaceflight Treatment’ In Plant Space Biology: Experimental Practices, Metadata Workflows, And Data Re-analysis
The boundaries between targeted interventions, background factors, and confounders are concerns in all biological experimentation.
Posted inGravitational Biology, Life Support Systems, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Status Report
Peas on Mars: A Study Of Garden Pea, Lathyrus Oleraceus (Pisum sativum), Growth In Martian Regolith Simulant Treated With Black Soldier Fly Frass
Future long-duration missions to Mars will require in situ food production systems to reduce dependence on resupply missions and enhance crew autonomy.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gravitational Biology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Stations
This Moss Survived 9 Months Directly Exposed To The Elements Of Space
Mosses thrive in the most extreme environments on Earth, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the sands of Death Valley, the Antarctic tundra to the lava fields of active […]
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Exploration Gear & Tech, Life Support Systems, Moon, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science
Towards Farming On The Moon
To stay long-term on the Moon humans will need to produce food there. Is it possible to grow plants in environments very different from earth? With support from the Discovery […]
Posted inGravitational Biology, Life Support Systems, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science
New Research Shows How Plant Roots Bend And Growth Downward Toward Gravity
Scientists have uncovered how the plant hormone auxin helps roots bend and downwards towards gravity – a process called gravitropism – even after encountering obstacles in soil.
Posted inLife Support Systems, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Stations
Offworld Agriculture: Astronauts Plant Seed Pillows
When the Crew-11 astronauts launched to the International Space Station on August 1, 2025, they carried with them another chapter in space farming: the latest VEG-03 experiments, complete with seed […]
Posted inCommercial & Private Sector, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report
Mitigation And Use Of Biofilms In Space For The Benefit Of Human Space Exploration
Biofilms are self-organized communities of microorganisms that are encased in an extracellular polymeric matrix and often found attached to surfaces. Biofilms are widely present on Earth, often found in diverse […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Agriculture
Researchers Identify Protein That Evolved To Enable Photosynthesis In Land Plants
Evolutionary plant biologists at the University of Toronto (U of T) have identified a protein that evolved approximately 500 million years ago, enabling plants to convert light into energy through […]