Potatoes have been proven to grow on Martian environment and that is good news for the potential Martian colonists in the next decades to come. True enough, in a simulated chamber called CubeSat, potato seeds were able to grow their crops even on as it was treated by the extreme conditions of Mars. With this new discovery, this super food can feed not only the first Martian colony, but it can solve the basic problem of malnutrition and hunger.

Using the soil taken from the Pampas de La Joya Desert in southern Peru, the potato seeds were then planted as it was studied that this specific soil from Peru has the same qualities as that from Mars' soil. Based on a report from Futurism, this project of the International Potato Center (CIP) called the "Potatoes on Mars Project" was already reenacted by Matt Damon in a scene from the movie "The Martian." Seriously, though, the project aims to know if potatoes can really grow on Mars' diverse atmospheric conditions, as CIP collaborates with NASA's Ames Research Center (NASA ARC).

Potato seeds were then enclosed on a CubeSat made by Peru's University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) and were treated with controlled amounts of air, pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide. As for the radiation in Mars, LED lights were used and controls to modify the exact temperature of Mar's day and night phases. According to reports from Christian Science Monitor, if these potatoes are able to survive and grow on their designated CubeSat, chances are that the tubers can be planted directly on Mars.

The project was studied for a month and upon their observation, the potato seeds have grown into leaves, as it further gives hope that food security problems can now be solved. Hunger and Malnourishment are already worldwide problems that need attention, but the occurrence of climate change has already destroyed the environment. Poor soil quality leads to hunger in remote areas, therefore, with this breakthrough, farmers can still be growing and harvest food even on these situations.

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