mancinedinburgh OP t1_j6y14pl wrote on February 2, 2023 at 6:20 PM

I think the point behind yet another gimmicky-sounding project is that it would mean less foreign microbes from humans/Earth contaminating the moon or Mars. Also, apparently this particular fungus makes a biomass building material (which can easily be transported into space) that is “stronger than concrete” when mixed with a certain type of algae. Who knew?

masonel77 t1_j6yo2pc wrote on February 2, 2023 at 8:43 PM

I think it all depends on scaleability. There was lots of hype around Pleurotus species being able to decompose certain plastics or petroleum products (can’t remember which) and as enthusiastic as people were it’s just not a scaleable idea and lost steam within a few years (I think they realized Cyanobacteria are a better bet for large scale bioremediation, anyways).

ToothlessGrandma t1_j6z1ik3 wrote on February 2, 2023 at 10:06 PM

Is anyone really concerned with putting microbes on the moon. It's a lifeless rock.

Zeshicage85 t1_j6z5ies wrote on February 2, 2023 at 10:33 PM

Not about the moons ecosystem of course. But I would always be careful about what you introduce to a place with higher levels of radiation. Not to mention if something becomes a problem up there it's not like a trip back to earth is cheap or easy.