Raman spectroscopy as a tool for assessing plant growth in space and on lunar regolith simulants
Abstract Colonization of the Moon and other planets is an aspiration of NASA and may yield important benefits for our civilization. The feasibility of such endeavors depends on both innovative engineering concepts and the successful adaptation of life forms that exist on Earth to inhospitable enviro...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | npj Microgravity |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-025-00479-8 |
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| author | Axell Rodriguez Borja Barbero Barcenilla Emily Hall Ishan Kundel Alexander Meyers Sarah Wyatt Dorothy Shippen Dmitry Kurouski |
| author_facet | Axell Rodriguez Borja Barbero Barcenilla Emily Hall Ishan Kundel Alexander Meyers Sarah Wyatt Dorothy Shippen Dmitry Kurouski |
| author_sort | Axell Rodriguez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Colonization of the Moon and other planets is an aspiration of NASA and may yield important benefits for our civilization. The feasibility of such endeavors depends on both innovative engineering concepts and the successful adaptation of life forms that exist on Earth to inhospitable environments. In this study, we investigate the potential of Raman spectroscopy (RS) in a non-invasive and non-destructive assessment of changes in the biochemistry of plants exposed to zero gravity on the International Space Station and during growth on lunar regolith simulants on Earth. We report that RS can sense changes in plant carotenoids, pectin, cellulose, and phenolics, which in turn, could be used to gauge the degree of plant stress in new environments. Our findings also demonstrate that RS can monitor the efficiency of soil supplements that can be used to mitigate nutrient-free regolith media. We conclude that RS can serve as a highly efficient approach for monitoring plant health in exotic environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cef88c0c75b24d04bdc446ed012b4dfb |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2373-8065 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Microgravity |
| spelling | doaj-art-cef88c0c75b24d04bdc446ed012b4dfb2025-08-20T02:03:36ZengNature Portfolionpj Microgravity2373-80652025-05-011111810.1038/s41526-025-00479-8Raman spectroscopy as a tool for assessing plant growth in space and on lunar regolith simulantsAxell Rodriguez0Borja Barbero Barcenilla1Emily Hall2Ishan Kundel3Alexander Meyers4Sarah Wyatt5Dorothy Shippen6Dmitry Kurouski7Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityNASA Postdoctoral Program, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Kennedy Space Center FLMolecular and Cellular Biology Program, Ohio UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityAbstract Colonization of the Moon and other planets is an aspiration of NASA and may yield important benefits for our civilization. The feasibility of such endeavors depends on both innovative engineering concepts and the successful adaptation of life forms that exist on Earth to inhospitable environments. In this study, we investigate the potential of Raman spectroscopy (RS) in a non-invasive and non-destructive assessment of changes in the biochemistry of plants exposed to zero gravity on the International Space Station and during growth on lunar regolith simulants on Earth. We report that RS can sense changes in plant carotenoids, pectin, cellulose, and phenolics, which in turn, could be used to gauge the degree of plant stress in new environments. Our findings also demonstrate that RS can monitor the efficiency of soil supplements that can be used to mitigate nutrient-free regolith media. We conclude that RS can serve as a highly efficient approach for monitoring plant health in exotic environments.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-025-00479-8 |
| spellingShingle | Axell Rodriguez Borja Barbero Barcenilla Emily Hall Ishan Kundel Alexander Meyers Sarah Wyatt Dorothy Shippen Dmitry Kurouski Raman spectroscopy as a tool for assessing plant growth in space and on lunar regolith simulants npj Microgravity |
| title | Raman spectroscopy as a tool for assessing plant growth in space and on lunar regolith simulants |
| title_full | Raman spectroscopy as a tool for assessing plant growth in space and on lunar regolith simulants |
| title_fullStr | Raman spectroscopy as a tool for assessing plant growth in space and on lunar regolith simulants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Raman spectroscopy as a tool for assessing plant growth in space and on lunar regolith simulants |
| title_short | Raman spectroscopy as a tool for assessing plant growth in space and on lunar regolith simulants |
| title_sort | raman spectroscopy as a tool for assessing plant growth in space and on lunar regolith simulants |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-025-00479-8 |
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