The Incredible Resilience of Mars-Worthy Desert Moss

Today, you’ll learn about the smart soil that gives plants a massive boost even when they’re watered less, how our love of certain odors could be more nurture than nature, and a moss that could one day fill greenhouses on Mars. 

Smart Soil  

• “‘Smart soil’ grows 138% bigger crops using 40% less water.” by Michael Irving. 2024.  
• “Climate Change Indicators: Drought.” EPA. 2024.  
• “Water for Prosperity and Peace.” Unesco. 2024.  
• “Self-watering SMAG-soil pulls moisture from the air.” by Ben Coxworth. 2020.  
• “Self-Irrigation and Slow-Release Fertilizer Hydrogels for Sustainable Agriculture.” by Jungjoon Park, et al. 2024.  

Smell Preferences 

• “Do you smell what I smell? New study reveals surprising variability in odor preferences.” by Mane Kara-Yakoubian. 2024.  
• “Is the perception of odour pleasantness shared across cultures and ecological conditions? Evidence from Amazonia, East Africa, New Guinea, Malaysia, and Poland.” by Piotr Sorokowski, et al. 2024.  

Mars Moss 

• “Scientists find desert moss ‘that can survive on Mars’.” by Nicola Davis. 2024.  
• “The extremotolerant desert moss Syntrichia caninervis is a promising pioneer plant for colonizing extraterrestrial environments.” by Xiaoshuang Li, et al. 2024.  
• “This desert moss has the potential to grow on Mars.” Science News. 2024.  

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