• nocturne@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    27
    ·
    11 months ago

    Salad is good for you, generally speaking, so growing fresh greens in orbit seems like a winning way for space farers to stay healthy. New research suggests that as nutritious as space salad might be, it could pose something of a risk to astronauts.

    The problem is growing leafy plants like lettuce and spinach in space can come with a side dish of bacteria, according to a new study from a team at the University of Delaware. In tests on plants grown in simulated microgravity, they were shown to actually be more susceptible than normal to the Salmonella enterica pathogen.

    • Otter@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      11 months ago

      Interesting

      I guess some of the plants natural defences rely on gravity, so without them they’re more susceptible (till we can breed a better variant)