This picture released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) shows the Yutu-2 moon rover, taken by the Chang'e-4 lunar probe on the far side of the moon. CNSA via CNS | AFP | Getty Images

Seeds carried by China's Chang'e 4 lunar lander have sprouted, marking the first instance of biological matter growing on the moon. China's Chang'e 4 lunar probe hit headlines earlier this month after it was reported that it had successfully landed on the far side of the moon in a world first.

Now a photograph has been released by the China National Space Administration, according to the South China Morning Post, which shows cotton seeds sprouting in a sealed container. The image was shared on Twitter on Tuesday by the People's Daily newspaper, a mouthpiece for China's ruling Communist Party. Tweet The newspaper said in a tweet that the development marks "the completion of humankind's first biological experiment on the moon." Professor Liu Hanlong of Chongqing University, who led the research, said that rapeseed and potato seeds had also germinated, but that the cotton seeds were the first to sprout, the South China Morning Post reported. While plants like zinnias and leaf vegetables have been grown in space on the International Space Station, none had ever been grown on the moon.