Extended space missions and future settlements on the moon and  Mars will have to rely on plant-based life-support systems as a strategic  source of oxygen and food. The key challenge in establishing these  small-scale ecosystems is ensuring their stability and preventing ecological  collapse. This experiment’s long-term objective was to explore the use of synthetic biology and optogenetics to directly manipulate plant cellular  pathways using light. Eytan Stibbe demonstrated the fundamental technology  and biological principles required to control an optogenetic system in  chickpea plants on board the ISS. This study’s findings could pave the road  to sustaining life on the moon and beyond.

‍

Read the article