How We’ll Grow Food on Mars Without Earth

Scientists are developing a closed-loop system to grow food on Mars using biology instead of Earth-supplied resources.Cyanobacteria cultivated on Martian dust and atmospheric gases are processed via anaerobic fermentation into nutrient-rich fertilizer, enabling the growth of protein-dense duckweed. The system also produces methane as a usable energy byproduct. This dual-output approach—food and fuel—points toward scalable, self-sufficient agriculture for long-duration missions and permanent settlements beyond Earth.Thank you for listening to Bedtime Astronomy — your guide to the cosmos. New episodes on space exploration, NASA missions & the latest astronomy breakthroughs.This episode includes AI-generated content.