Back in March this year, scientists from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands successfully grew 10 varieties of crops in Mars-like soil provided by NASA. The catch? The produce was initially thought to be inedible due to the heavy metals present in the Mars soil.

Further research out this week has revealed four of the crops are safe for consumption – radishes, tomatoes, rye, and peas. These varieties came back clear of cadmium, lead, aluminium, nickel, copper, chrome, iron, arsenic, manganese, and zinc.

A crowdfunding campaign which is running until the end of August, is raising research funds for the team to test the other six crops.

Mars One Settlement 2025