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Growing food can pose its own challenges and require a substantial amount of resources. Relying on a dwindling food supply could also prove dangerous in the long run., a team of scientists suggests astronauts could make use of an unusual source of nutrition instead: asteroids., the scientists aren't implying that space travelers should munch on actual rocks.
These microbes could then turn the asteroid crumbles into "biomass," which could technically keep future asteroids fed — but likely pleading for a burger instead.The team of scientists was inspired by a US Department of Defense investigation into ways to recycle plastic containers that hold military rations — and possibly turn them into more edible food.
First, the plastic gets broken down into gas and oil using a process called pyrolysis. The oil is added to bacteria inside a bioreactor, which turns it into a nutritional biomass. In extremely simplified terms, the team was looking for ways to reconstitute carbon into something that resembles food."If we just feed microbes fresh, pristine meteorite, what would happen?" Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam postdoctoral researcher Annemiek Waajen, who wasn't involved in the research, but has investigated the idea, told theBut before astronauts can start ripping into a juicy asteroid slurry, scientists still have a lot of work to do.
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