seeds

NASA sent 10 million cinnamon basil seeds into orbit aboard Endeavour in 2007; the project brought space-flown seeds into classrooms and helped nearly 1 million students test plant-growing designs

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NASA sent 10 million cinnamon basil seeds into orbit aboard Endeavour in 2007; the project brought space-flown seeds into classrooms and helped nearly 1 million students test plant-growing designs

The seeds were being carried by teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan, who was finally making her long-awaited journey into space after a 22-year wait A seed does not look like much. Tucked into a packet, it is barely noticeable, carrying the promise of a plant in a form that seems almost impossibly small. But in 2007, millions … Read more

In 2015, 2kg of rocket seeds went to the space station; after their return, 600,000 UK children helped test them, and researchers found they grew more slowly but remained viable

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In 2015, 2kg of rocket seeds went to the space station; after their return, 600,000 UK children helped test them, and researchers found they grew more slowly but remained viable

Tim PeakePhoto credit: Esa.int ESA astronaut Tim Peake took 2kg of rocket seeds to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015 as part of his six-month Principia mission. The seeds endured intense vibrations from launch and spaceflight and received up to 100 times more radiation than they would have experienced on Earth. After returning in … Read more

A Michigan scientist buried seeds in 20 glass bottles in 1879; 142 years later, some still grew, and the experiment is set to run until 2100

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A Michigan scientist buried seeds in 20 glass bottles in 1879; 142 years later, some still grew, and the experiment is set to run until 2100

Michigan State University botanist William James Beal buried 20 glass bottles filled with seeds In 1879, Michigan State University botanist William James Beal buried 20 glass bottles filled with seeds and sand in an effort to answer a deceptively simple question: how long could seeds remain dormant in the soil and still grow when conditions … Read more

Britain’s seagrass meadows were disappearing; a Scottish community transplanted mature shoots instead of seeds and achieved 97% survival

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Britain's seagrass meadows were disappearing; a Scottish community transplanted mature shoots instead of seeds and achieved 97% survival

Britain’s seagrass meadows have suffered decades of decline, but a community-led project on Scotland’s west coast is showing that restoring them may not always require starting from seeds. Seawilding, a Scottish marine restoration charity, has been experimenting with transplanting mature Zostera marina shoots from healthy donor meadows into areas where seagrass has been lost. The … Read more

Nasa scientists grew corn seeds in space and found that microgravity changed how the seedlings’ roots and shoots grew

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Nasa scientists grew corn seeds in space and found that microgravity changed how the seedlings’ roots and shoots grew

Long before astronauts ever plant a seed on the Moon or Mars, Nasa has been testing a much simpler question here on Earth’s doorstep: what happens when a corn seed germinates with no gravity to tell it which way to grow? Back in the early 1990s, researchers flew dry corn kernels aboard the space shuttle, … Read more