Will Chickpeas Soon Grow on the Moon?

The idea sounds like science fiction: chickpeas cultivated on the dusty surface of the Moon. Yet researchers at the University of Texas have now demonstrated in a laboratory experiment that this could indeed be possible. In a simulated lunar environment, the legumes — valued on Earth as small protein powerhouses — managed to grow under unusual conditions, thanks to a mixture of lunar dust, worm compost and symbiotic fungi.