Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

Void · 2016-12-04 21:13:23

Purpose:
I don't intend to sabotage work with livestock animals, it is none of my business what other people want to do on Mars (So, far).

Here, I am going to argue that by stretching the limits of life. Humans should be able to have extremely, that is ambient Martian pressure greenhouses where Algae, Cyanobacteria, and other micro-organisms can be farmed. Those living microbes will most likely not be good food for humans, at least until they are modified with GM.

I also support a secondary life form, the Mushroom which I believe can supply many important nutrients, in some cases even B12, Protein, and Carbohydrates, and some vitamins.

It is my intention that the Mushrooms would be GM modified to amplify these capabilities, and that the Mushrooms could be fed Green Slime, and other Carbon-Hydrogen bonded substances.

The greenhouses for Green Slime:
RobertDyke has proposed various greenhouses, of plastic or glass. Any would do.

The internal pressure could be pushed up a few mb, but it may be possible to have an internal air pressure of 8-9 mb at Utopia Planetia, or 12 mb at Hellas Planetia.

It is my intention that a pond of water will be housed in these greenhouses, and that it will typically be covered with a layer of rather transparent ice. Having an ice surface will generally keep the vapor pressure on the surface of the ice lower than for 0 degC fresh water. That is if some of the cold of the night can be retained in the ice layer through the day, it should be possible for instance to have a air to ice contact temperature of several degrees below 0 degC. This will lower the vapor pressure well below the triple point of fresh water.

The purpose of the greenhouse therefore is not primarily to pressurize the interior to help keep water from evaporating, but to keep dust out, and to keep the dry winds of Mars from sweeping the water away by normal non-boiling evaporation. Pressurizing the greenhouse from time to time might be advantageous, so I do not rule it out. Perhaps during part of the day, it would pay to put a few extra mb of pressure inside of it.

Keeping a moisture tight seal, however is not and easy thing. Therefore it would be best to keep the Relative Humidity of the air inside of the greenhouse as low as possible.

I might propose that a ~2 foot layer of ice would not block too much light, and could insulate itself during the day so that the heat of the water below would not be felt on the top layer of the ice. That is a goal anyway, perhaps the ice would need to be thicker.

The ice supposedly will attenuate the U.V. spectrum, making the pond water below more habitable for micro-organisms.

So far, I have described a greenhouse and ice covered fresh water pond. For that situation, a hierarchy of stratification can occur.
-Ice -10 degC? to 0 degC?
-Ice contact water 0 degC / 32 degF
-Bottom water, perhaps 10 feet down, up to + 3.8889 degC / 39 degF.

The bottom waters of such a pond, if they contained nutrients, and if sunshine reached them could support microbial photo life. The temperatures being a bit low might cause a relatively slow growth rate. Not sure about that.

However, you would be free to put an enclosure such as a transparent plastic bag filled with water on the bottom and weigh it down. This would be better as the water within could become warmer without as much risk of water turn-over (The breakdown of stratification, which could melt the ice).

Further it would be cleaner to keep the pond waters nutrient free and sterile, but the interior of the bag very nutrient rich.

Salt Ponds:
We could modify this situation for other results by adding salt, and so producing a solar salt pond.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_pond
http://www.solar-energy-for-homes.com/solar-ponds.html
xsolar-ponds-01.jpg.pagespeed.ic.wz3SD9y95X.jpg
Quote:

The effect of solar ponds also occurs in natural salt lakes, from which the technology derives. A natural solar pond, where the effect is really noticeable is at the shore of the Red Sea in Egypt, at Solar Lake. Due to the effect of solar heat the lake can get as hot as 140°F.

If we want to grow green slime, we don't want to go as high as 140°F, but of course this is Mars, and we will have less of a solar flux, and the greenhouse glaze will likely attenuate it further. If it is too attenuated, we might use heliostats to add light during the day. If it is a large installation we might actually bleed off heat in a power generating system at night.

Larger Quote:

It is a relatively inexpensive form of solar power that is especially used in rural areas for heating, refrigeration, drying, solar power generation as well as for other purposes.
How Does a Solar Pond Work?
The density of water normally goes up as the depth of the water increases, which means the temperature rises, as warm water is normally lighter than cold water. When the hot water rises to the surface, the heat from the water is quickly released to the surrounding water given that this is colder.
The cooled drops are pressed back down again by the remaining hot water, and a circular flow is established, causing quick cooling. This effect can clearly be felt in hot baths.
This effect, known as convection, is a major issue in heating bodies of water. For instance, a pool loses almost all of its heat through evaporation as any heat it absorbs from the sun stays at the surface and it quickly lost.
The above upward circulation flow comes to a halt when the hot water has a high salt content (salinity), since the density of water increases drastically with salinity. This means that by using salt water, you are able to counteract this circulation and allow hot water to stay towards the bottom of the pond.
This allows solar ponds to hold in their heat, as it is not exposed to the surface where it would instantly be cooled down by evaporation.
In a solar thermal pond, this salt is deposited from a store at the bottom of the pond. Instead of a circulation flow, a stable temperature stratification is formed in the water, so the heat stay in the lower depths of the water and is not subject to convection which causes the hot water to rise and eventually evaporate.
The water in a solar thermal pond is layered based on the level of salinity. At the surface the saline water will be coldest and have the smallest salt content, and the bottom layer has the highest salt content so is therefore the best insulator. The middle layer basically creates a barrier between the warm water on the bottom and the cooler water on top. So a solar pond can end up have a surface temperature of less than 60°F, while the bottom temperature can be well over 120°F.

How salty can the bottom water be and support photo life?
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.ph … e_Dead_Sea
Quote:

Currently, the concentration of mineral salts within the Dead Sea is almost ten times higher than that of seawater [2,3]. 1977 marked a turn in the chemistry of the lake as sodium chloride reached its maximum concentration after continuous dry seasons with little input of freshwater

But...

The Dead Sea is, in fact, not dead, but is inhabited by a highly diverse group of microorganisms, derived from various taxa, even though the harsh conditions reduce population sizes. In fact, blooms of microorganisms have been observed only when rainfall has diluted the waters of the Dead Sea.

So, we would not want to go over 10 times as salty as the sea, and in fact might want to dilute it somewhat to get better results of a "Bloom".

Ice on a solar salt pond:
I believe that on Mars it should be possible to keep an ice layer on top of such a solar salt pond, and that ice on top could be rather cold. The cold and the salt content will help to depress the vapor pressure of evaporation. If nothing else would work, you would put a tubing in the ice, and run a liquid through it at night to evaporate the liquid (Ammonia?), then run that through a turbine, and to a radiator outside. (Nothing prevents running the tube through the ice, and then the warm/hot bottom waters.

Generating and maintaining the brine:
The hot cold day night treatment of the ice layer will squeeze brine concentrate out of its expanding freeze mass at night, and that will fall to the bottom of the pond.

Fresh water enclosure in a salt pond bottom:
In order to overcome the rigors salt impose on life, of course you could put a plastic bag on the bottom of a very salty solar pond, and fill it with fresh or less salty water. However, it would have to be anchored down as it would tend to float up, and also salts might be harsh on the plastic materials used. Perhaps O.F.1939 could have a thing to say about that.

GM
Probably not necessary for the life in the pond, but I don't rule it out.

Now that we have our low pressure greenhouses and our green stuff for livestock to graze on, we can go to Mushrooms. But I will first make very brief posts about Oxygen, fish, and Methane, and a rather long one about "Black Soldier Fly Larvae".

Last edited by Void (2016-12-04 22:44:25)

Void · 2016-12-04 22:04:09

Oxygen:
Of course Oxygen should be generated in such low pressure greenhouses, and it should be possible to collect it.

Void · 2016-12-04 22:05:14

Fish:
If you have green slime, and Oxygen you should be able to feed that to fish. (In a different environment suitable to the survival of fish).

Last edited by Void (2016-12-04 22:44:53)

Void · 2016-12-04 22:08:03

Black Soldier Fly Larvae:
If you really want to keep Chickens, you can feed these to them to keep them from killing each other for nutrients.

Or if your people are starving to death of course the would eat these rather than each others dead bodies.

You would mix the green slime in soil, and the Black Soldier Fly Larvae will act like red worms and feed on that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetia_illucens

Quote:

Grub composting bins use self-harvesting[edit]
When the larvae have completed their larval development through six instars, they enter a stage called the "prepupa" wherein they cease to eat, they empty their guts, their mouth parts change to an appendage that aids climbing, and they seek a dry, sheltered area to pupate.[4] This prepupal migration instinct is used by grub composting bins to self-harvest the mature larvae. These containers have ramps or holes on the sides to allow the prepupae to climb out of the composter and drop into a collection area.

A more humaine method is to have the larvae die from freezing, in the collection area.

Quote:

The adult soldier fly has no functioning mouthparts; it spends its time searching for mates and reproducing.

Quote:

Human food[edit]
Black soldier fly larvae are edible to humans. The larvae are highly efficient in converting proteins, containing up to 42% of protein, and a lot of calcium and amino acids. In 432 hours, 1 gram of black soldier fly eggs turns into 2.4 kilograms of protein.[citation needed] They thus can be a source of protein for human consumption.
In 2013, Austrian designer Katharina Unger invented a table-top insect breeding farm called "Farm 432" in which people can produce edible fly larvae at home. It is a multichambered plastic machine that looks like a kitchen appliance. According to Unger: “Farm 432 enables people to turn against the dysfunctional system of current meat production by growing their own protein source." About 500 g of larvae or two meals can be produced in a week by the machine.
The taste of the larvae is said to be very distinctive. Unger: "When you cook them, they smell a bit like cooked potatoes. The consistency is a bit harder on the outside and like soft meat on the inside. The taste is nutty and a bit meaty."[11]

Last edited by Void (2016-12-04 22:17:21)

Void · 2016-12-04 22:09:13

Methane:
Of course you could anaerobically digest the green slime to produce Methane and compost.

Void · 2016-12-04 22:18:54

Mushrooms:

Of course Mushrooms are a livestock which could feed on Green Slime, Carbon, and Hydrocarbons. Of course they also need Oxygen.

I think there could be a lot of room for GM improvement of Mushrooms, to increase their food manufacturing abilities, and perhaps to add nutrients, not currently synthesized in Mushrooms.

Vitamin B12:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/49661 … mushrooms/
Some mushrooms have small amounts of it. GM might increase the amount the mushrooms synthesize.

Protein:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/55619 … s-vs-meat/
Here again GM might increase the Protein synthesized.

Carbohydrate:
https://www.verywell.com/carb-informati … ms-2241803
I don't know maybe want more of this as well. Want...Can do?

Vitamin D:
http://www.mushroominfo.com/all-about-vitamin-d/
Quote:

but mushrooms stand out as the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle and one of the few non-fortified food sources. In fact, the IOM recognizes them as the exception to the rule that plant foods don’t naturally contain vitamin D.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-stam … 35941.html
Quote:

Place Mushrooms in Sunlight to Get Your Vitamin D

And of course mushrooms have other nutrients, not all mushrooms are the same.

Last edited by Void (2016-12-04 22:30:22)

Void · 2016-12-04 22:31:28

Well, I think that that is more than quite enough!

A food chain base using very low pressure greenhouses on Mars, leading up to consumable food for humans on Mars.

SpaceNut · 2016-12-04 23:14:38

I did post mushroom content to this topic Mushroom a teraforming aid and it can be for the food source as you are looking to develope in this topic as well....

Void · 2016-12-04 23:38:25

Yes, of course, but the topic here is "Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.".

And of course very low pressure greenhouses which can utilize the ~Lake Superior sized water ice deposit in Utopia Planetia,

And also providing a solar power plant.

The food chain which also produces Oxygen and Electrical Power is the interest, quite distinct from terraforming.

Mars_B4_Moon · 2022-08-06 02:41:00

Fungi Species New to Science Discovered in Scottish Highlands

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/fungi-s … highlands/

Mars_B4_Moon · 2022-08-29 05:16:52

We do have Booze threads for Mars colonies

Psychedelic ‘Magic Mushroom’ Ingredient Could Help Treat Alcohol Addiction
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-ne … 180980658/

Mars_B4_Moon · 2022-10-12 09:00:59

Fungi Find Their Way Into Cancer Tumors, But What They're Doing There is a Mystery

https://www.statnews.com/2022/09/30/fun … a-mystery/

some other Mushroom new mars forum discussion

'Mushrooms as a terraforming aid'
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=6910
'Mushrooms - organic waste recycling, and vegan leather'
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=8179

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-03-06 08:30:11

An Earthworm Robot Could Help Us Explore Other Worlds

https://www.universetoday.com/160388/an … er-worlds/

Evolution is a problem-solver, and one of the problems it solved in many different ways is locomotion. Birds fly. Fish swim. Animals walk.

But earthworms found another way to move around the niche they occupy. Can we copy them to explore other worlds?

'What Is Lion's Mane, aka The Smart Mushroom?'
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrit … r-AA189Dw8

Possible contamination urges enoki mushroom recall
https://www.khon2.com/local-news/possib … om-recall/
DOH is advising residents to voluntarily recall enoki mushrooms purchased in Hawaii

More fungus among-us. Stark County mushroom sellers explain their growing popularity
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/more-fu … 29981.html
At the onset of the pandemic, with people being home and spending more time outside, foraging became popular

'The mushrooms you can wear and build with'
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64810935

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-03-06 08:33:29)

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-03-10 05:14:51

How to use the power of mushrooms to improve your life
https://www.popsci.com/environment/how- … reatively/

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-03-15 09:35:07

Slime molds are not actually fungi at all, but they are brainless predators
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-slime-mol … ators.html

Oyster mushrooms expected to break down toxins and microplastics in cigarette butts in Australian trial

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n … lian-trial

What Are Oyster Mushrooms?
https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-are- … ms-4172003

The Shaggy’s, aka Coprinus comatus, are an excellent edible mushroom that's easy to identify. Also known as the lawyer's wig mushroom or shaggy inkcap, and formerly known as Agaricus comatus, they're a common mushroom in yards and gardens.
https://foragerchef.com/the-shaggy-mane … wyers-wig/

Uses of wood blewit
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees- … od-blewit/
Wood blewits are generally regarded as edible mushrooms as long as they're cooked thoroughly. It has a distinctive, strong flavour and smells faintly of aniseed, and is good in stews, omelettes or fried in butter. However, there are cases of it causing allergic reactions when eaten raw, and in some people even when it's cooked. It can also be used as a dye, resulting in a green-grass colour – not purple or pink as might be expected.

How to grow King Stropharia (Garden Giant) Mushroom at Home
https://mushroomgrowing.co.uk/how-to-gr … m-at-home/

The Garden Giant mushroom is an excellent source of selenium, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, and phosphorus.
So are also rich in fibre, vitamin D2, D3, B1, B2 and B12. , folic acid, pantothenic acid.
It has high protein content (4%). Dietary proteins are essential for the proper growth and development of an individual, almost equivalent to meat, milk, eggs, etc.
King Stropharia mushrooms are known to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties.
Medicinal value of King Stropharia(Garden Giant) Mushroom includes:
· Treat Diarrhea- It's rich in folic acid. A deficiency in folic acid can cause diarrhoea, bleeding gums, and other serious health problems.
· Regulate Blood Pressure- Contains potassium which has an electrolyte that helps regulate the heartbeat and works with other minerals to send nerve signals back and forth to control muscle contractions.
· Lowers Cholesterol- Contains dietary fibre that binds to bile acids in the digestive tract and carries them out of the body with the fibre, lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-03-15 10:09:48)

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-03-15 16:52:04

Lawmakers propose decriminalizing magic mushrooms for research
https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2023-0 … 05880.html

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-03-28 06:35:38

Your garden should be a multilayer food forest, says RHS horticulturist

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl … massey-rhs

Beyond meat: insects and lab mushrooms to save the planet

https://english.elpais.com/science-tech … lanet.html

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-04-13 02:27:55

Plant pods offer a sustainable future for farming on Earth and beyond
https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/3/plant-pods-o … and-beyond
As with other space-intended technologies developed in the past, space farming capsules can also benefit farmers on Earth

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-06-11 02:52:18

Australian psychiatrists prepare for magic mushrooms to be legal treatment

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aust … -rj6sjb0qn

NASA Prize-Winning Experiment Could Be The Future of Artificial Photosynthesis

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists … osynthesis

The process of turning water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight into oxygen and energy helps plants to grow naturally – and it's a process that scientists are looking to harness and adapt in order to produce food, fuel, and more besides.
In a new study, scientists outline an experimental artificial photosynthesis technique, which deploys a two-step electrocatalytic process to turn carbon dioxide, water, and electricity generated by solar panels into acetate (the main component of vinegar). This acetate can then be harnessed by plants in order to grow.
In fact, the system that the researchers have designed here is intended not just to mimic the photosynthesis that happens in nature, but to actually improve on it – in plants, only around 1 percent of the sunlight's energy is actually turned into plant biomass, whereas here the efficiency can be multiplied by about fourfold.

NASA looks to spice up astronaut menu with deep space food production

https://www.aol.com/news/nasa-looks-spi … 42985.html

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-07-10 06:23:26

Forager baffled after finding mushrooms 'the size of a sheep' during woodland walk
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/f … 330516.amp

Market Report Says the “World Has Discovered a Treasure Trove in Fungi”
https://vegconomist.com/fungi-mushrooms … uest-post/

old article
2015
Making Furniture from Fungi
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/gu … rom-fungi/
Your next chair or table could be all natural, free of toxins—and compostable

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-08-14 08:39:14

Scientists say Australia has potential to capitalise on mushroom gold and fight food waste

https://www.sbs.com.au/language/chinese … /opflj8lnu

The solar salt pond the boy or pool which collects and stores solar thermal energy, El Paso, Texas is the second largest in the U.S.

The Lakes or Greenhouse or Biodomes covering Swamp or Pools of Slime

perhaps a food source of Frogs, Berry, Algae, Snake Skins, Lizard Eggs, in the slime of Swamp, the Bog life, and wetlands from waterbodies containing rich, hydric soils, minerals and chemicals, the Marshes are wetlands they can come types of Fish, tree, plant and other biodiversity, theer is Coastal Swamp Oak Forest of Australia, Paraná Delta of south America, the Swamps of the South in the USA, Sur a national nature reserve in the Slovak culture, in the Indian Sub Continent the Myristica swamp, Vasyugan Swamp of Russia, maybe there will be engineered Aquatic plants.

You can make artificial Martian Lakes and Rivers inside a Biosphere but with less water the Swamps and Slim and Lakes of Mars will be much smaller features inside the Biodomes.

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-08-14 08:51:28)

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-10-07 07:47:28

Crops grown without sunlight could help feed astronauts bound for Mars, and someday supplement dinner plates on Earth

https://www.science.org/content/article … bound-mars

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-11-23 20:36:59

A look into Pennsylvania’s booming mushroom industry
https://www.alleghenyfront.org/pennsylv … est-in-us/

Listeria: Some Enoki mushrooms recalled in Canada due to possible contamination – what to know
https://uk.style.yahoo.com/enoki-mushro … 46782.html

vid - Fungi as insulation for your home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbXQRhcmeec

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-11-23 20:47:25)

Mars_B4_Moon · 2023-11-26 19:49:58

Fungal Delights or Dangers: A Guide to Identifying Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms for Safe Culinary Exploration

https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/4 … linary.htm

Mars_B4_Moon · 2024-04-20 02:24:37

In Cleveland, mushrooms digest entire houses: How fungi can be used to clean up pollution
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2024 … ate-change

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#1 2016-12-04 21:13:23

Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#2 2016-12-04 22:04:09

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#3 2016-12-04 22:05:14

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#4 2016-12-04 22:08:03

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#5 2016-12-04 22:09:13

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#6 2016-12-04 22:18:54

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#7 2016-12-04 22:31:28

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#8 2016-12-04 23:14:38

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#9 2016-12-04 23:38:25

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#10 2022-08-06 02:41:00

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#11 2022-08-29 05:16:52

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#12 2022-10-12 09:00:59

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#13 2023-03-06 08:30:11

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#14 2023-03-10 05:14:51

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#15 2023-03-15 09:35:07

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#16 2023-03-15 16:52:04

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#17 2023-03-28 06:35:38

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#18 2023-04-13 02:27:55

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#19 2023-06-11 02:52:18

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#20 2023-07-10 06:23:26

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#21 2023-08-14 08:39:14

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#22 2023-10-07 07:47:28

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#23 2023-11-23 20:36:59

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#24 2023-11-26 19:49:58

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

#25 2024-04-20 02:24:37

Re: Mushrooms, Green Slime, and GM.

Board footer