Sunday Supplement: Astrobotany update
Recent scientific publications on space plants and related topics.
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Natasha Haveman, a project scientist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, has posted to LinkedIn about a new paper on growing oyster mushrooms in space. She says:
“Fungi are well known for their capacity to decompose organic substrates, recycle waste, remediate pollutants, and produce end-user products through mycofabrication. Mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of certain fungi, are well known for their nutritional value as sources of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and for their nutraceutical value in boosting the immune system and supporting health and longevity. Our recent paper published in Gravitational and Space Research, investigated the feasibility of cultivating sporeless pearl oyster mushrooms on ISS waste streams as a means of advancing bioregenerative life support systems. We found that by substituting substrates with waste products such as cotton t-shirts and inedible plant biomass, mushroom cultivation is possible even at elevated carbon dioxide levels!”
You can find that paper here:
Musci, Jared, er al. "Cultivating Sporeless Pleurotus ostreatus (Pearl Oyster) Mushrooms on Alternative Space-Based Substrates under Elevated Carbon Dioxide." Gravitational and Space Research. Édition 13 (2025): Edition 1 (Janvier 2025). https://sciendo.com/fr/article/10.2478/gsr-2024-0014
And here's this month’s round-up of recent astrobotany papers:
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