Another Lunar Effect Put to Rest

Thirty years ago, published reports suggested that plants could grow better on lunar "soil" than they could on terrestrial soils. A series of experimental errors, reporting errors, and omissions led to this conclusion. Previously unpublished data easily explain the reported effects.

HAVEN SWEET

his article is long overdue. It has been written in my mind hundreds of times, only to be displaced by Tmore pressing activities. I eventually convinced myself that people had forgotten the claims made after man first landed on the Moon, claims that attributed very unusual properties to the Moon. My complacency changed while listening to one of the many twenty-fifth anniversary tributes to the first lunar landing. (Now the thirtieth anniversary has passed, in July 1999, and I can wait no longer.) I heard a former NASA offi- cial refer to the quarantine testing and indicate that there was one significant result: that plants had been shown to grow better on Moon dust than they did on Earth soil.

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER November/December 1999 47 This statement thrust me back to my days with the space look at how these results came to be, and how the myth grew. program, a time when similar statements were made with lit- tle regard for the facts. At that time, the press was hungry for Background of Plant Quarantine Testing news. The excitement of the lunar landing still held the pub- As part of the trip to the Moon, NASA was required to deter- lic interest in everything dealing with space. T h e spotlight was mine if "lunar organisms" existed, and if so, whether they on NASA, and some used this opportunity to present specula- posed a threat to Earth. Although we now recognize the Moon tion as fact, speculation that might partially justify the mission as a very inhospitable place for life, before the first landing, to the Moon. Reporters sought people who would give the some people feared that life might exist in sequestered loca- best quotes, and these statements were often published with- tions. The lunar quarantine provided time to evaluate whether out question. such organisms existed, and whether they could infect plants At that time, I was intimately involved with the Lunar or animals. Quarantine, a program established to determine if lunar soil Introduction of organisms into new environments has resulted in countless environmental disasters; chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease, Plants fare OK in lunar soil and the fatal spread of European diseases among American natives Moon Dust Acting As Moon Dust Treatment are but a few examples. Thus, the lunar material was contained in Fertilizer on Plants Makes Plants Thrive isolation chambers while being Moon Dust tested on plants and animals. The Plants Amaze Scientists test organisms were then monitored Growing in Moon Soil Is Nutrient for signs of infection by putative lunar To Plants pathogens. Figure 1. A sampling of headlines touting lunar soil. Realizing there was little chance of alien life forms on the Moon, our might be harmful to Earth organisms. I was responsible for botanical group decided to also determine if lunar material testing the lunar material on plants and helped develop many could be used for plant growth. Since any lunar settlements of the experimental procedures used during the first few lunar would grow plants for food and oxygen, it was important to sample returns. know if the abundant lunar dust could physically support, or In addition, I was responsible for data collection and analy- provide some nutritional benefit to, the plants. Not having to sis during the early missions. It was here that the problems ship plant nutrients from Earth would provide significant sav- began. Although the experiments yielded results that were ings. fairly unambiguous, they were reinterpreted to imply much greater significance than was warranted. It was frustrating to Testing Procedures watch as unfounded statements to the press were eventually incorporated in a manuscript published in the respected scien- The plant experiments involved testing thirty-one species, tific publication Bioscience. which were exposed either as actively growing plants, seedlings Thus, I am obliged to set the record straight concerning that had just germinated, intact plants grown on artificial those aspects of which I have first-hand knowledge. I think media, or isolated tissues on artificial media. Some species readers of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER will appreciate seeing how were given normal fertilizers, while others received only a few a combination of errors, some misrepresentation, and a large of the required nutrients. Because of the lack of nutrients, it dose of wishful thinking resulted in these conclusions that might be possible to determine if the plants "mine" the neces- plants grew better on lunar soil than on Earth soils. sary elements from the lunar material, just as is done in Earth There is danger in allowing this myth go unchallenged. The soils. belief tJiat die Moon possesses unusual and highly positive In almost every case, plants were given one of four dif- properties could erroneously justify return missions. In addi- ferent treatments: tion, some people may note the absence of further publica- 1) exposure directly to lunar material (this was the exper- tions dealing with this "lunar effect" and conclude that some imental treatment) sort of conspiracy caused the silence. What is needed is a clear 2) exposure to lunar material that had been heat- sterilized (to serve as a control for the possibility of a toxic Haven Sweet is Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences, University of lunar element) Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816. E-mail [email protected]. 3) exposure to a sterilized sample of pulverized Earth During the Apollo program he was intimately involved with the rock that simulated the lunar soil (to control for effects lunar quarantine program and the testing of lunar material on caused by small particles) plants. 4) unexposed plants (as a general control)

4 8 November/December 1999 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER The amount of material exposed to each plant was typically Scientific Publication very small, being only a maximum of 0.22 grams per plant or The plant quarantine results appeared most prominently in culture. For comparison, this is the amount of material that 1, would fit in bottom half of a Bioscience. Unfortunately, this manuscript did nothing to cor- 22 mm bullet casing (in fact, rect earlier allegations that this was the dispensing scoop). plant growth had been stimu- lated by the lunar material; To prevent escape of any radier, these conclusions were putative lunar organisms to the repeated, and incomplete or outside world, all experiments were performed in sealed, gas- misleading data were presented tight cabinets. The amount of to support them. A careful space available to perform reading of the paper should experiments was minimal, the have raised some warning flags number of replicate samples (and did alert some of the was far below what was needed reviewers) since there were sig- for statistical significance, the nificant omissions and discrep- ability to manipulate the plants ancies. was very limited, and measure- With this background, let Figure 2. Liverwort cultures. Those on the top were exposed to lunar material while ments had to be made the bottom cultures were untreated, (originally published in BioScience. vol. 20, us review the actual experi- remotely through the cabinet #24. p. 1301. O1970 American Institute of Biological Sciences) ments, the claims based on windows. In addition, none of die plant materials could be them, and my interpretation of the same. sacrificed during the experiment, prohibiting tissue removal, chemical extraction, or dry-weight measurements. Liverwort Studies—Presented Results Perhaps the most dramatic effect of lunar material on plants Headlines appears in cultures of a primitive plant called a liverwort. The During the lunar missions, mission control in Houston was plant was grown on nutrient-containing agar in jars covered the focus of most news reporters, although the astronauts with a lid permeable to gas and light. As is readily apparent and the moon rocks were the primary story. The quarantine, from the photograph (figure 2), the cultures exposed to lunar on the other hand, was of little interest since the results were material (top row) were definitely larger than the untreated negative. Eventually, however, reporters were given informa- cultures. Indeed, one administrator kept these cultures on his tion implying that the lunar material was at least a fertilizer, desk for months after the quarantine ended and showed them and perhaps something more. This revelation resulted in to visitors to the lab. headlines such as Plants Fare The published text states that the liverwort, grown "on OK in Lunar Soil,1 Moon modified Hudson's solid Dust Acting as Fertilizer on medium, grew several times Plants,' Moon Dust Treat- larger and exhibited an enrich- ment Makes Plants Thrive,' ment in pigmentation over Healthier Plants Shoot Up untreated controls." From Moondust Diet,4 and Although figure 2 shows Good for Plants: Synthetic five lunar-treated cultures Moon Dust Fertilizer.5 which were substantially larger, National attention seized there are several alternate die program when a NASA explanations of these differ- official was quoted in Parade ences, and other data which magazine as saying "the cast doubt that this was an moondust plants were very effect caused by lunar material. clearly ahead of others in Figure 3 Gametophytes on the right side were on agar containing minimal nutn Liverwort Results— growth" and that the lunar ents. while those on the left grew directly on lunar material which was moistened by the agar solution. The color and size differences were very pronounced. Unconsidered Factors material is "not a fertilizer but you'd have to call it some kind of growth promoter." In addi- First, only five of the ten lunar-treated cultures were selected tion, he went on to suggest that the moondust should be for display. I do not recall how selection was accomplished, but chemically analyzed and then artificially reproduced for com- I had written in my notes that die selection was not random. mercial uses on Earth! I will not bother to comment further Second, the display ignores the other thirty cultures. on these articles except to note that some may have resulted Unfortunately, no data were presented to indicate whether die from unskeptical reporting, while others were caused by heat-treated lunar material also enhanced growth. This would unbridled enthusiasm of the persons being interviewed. be the expected if the lunar material stimulated growth.

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER November/December 1999 49 Third, within the first days after inoculation, the cultures Furthermore, a repetition of the experiment during the sec- were all photographed. Later, the subjective rating of each cul- ond lunar landing quarantine (this time, properly randomized ture's size was made from these photographs, and the larger ar rhe start) showed no such enhancement of growth (table 2). size of lunar exposed plants was clearly present shortly after These unpublished data were available at the time the Bioscience inoculation (table 1). manuscript was being prepared, but were not included.

Seedling Elongation—Presented Results Exposure # of cultures observed to be: Larger Average Smaller Seed germination studies were cited as yielding another, appar- ently stimulatory, effect. In these experiments, 100 seeds of Lunar 6 2 2 each species were placed on a nutrient-free cellulose medium Lunar heated 2 2 6 and exposed to one of each of the four treatments. Earth heated 3 0 7 The results published in Bioscience showed the average seedling height fifteen days after they were inoculated and Untreated 2 2 6 allowed to germinate. Table 1. The subjective evaluation of the siie of liverwort cultures, made vrithin three days after treatment with Apollo 11 m a t e r i a l . Exposure # of cultures observed to be:

These unpublished data indicate that, early in the experi- Larger Average Smaller ment, the cultures exposed to lunar material were larger than Lunar 2 0 8 average. Growth increases of this magnitude do not commonly Lunar heated 2 6 2 occur among plants within 48—72 hours of treatment, unless powerful growth regulators are used. In addition, any such Earth heated 2 3 4 enhancement would not abrupdy cease after a few days. Untreated 3 4 2

If this enhancement was a nutritional effect, all soil-treated Table 2. The subjective evaluation of liverworts. 32 days after initial treatment with cultures should show a benefit. However, the lunar sterilized Apollo 12 material. plants were almost identical to both the terrestrial soil and the Seedling Elongation—The Explanation untreated controls. Considering that the lunar material baked in intense solar radiation for approximately 4 billion years, a From table 3, it appears that, at least in the case of lettuce, sterilization treatment of sixteen hours at 150° C is unlikely to there is an enhancement of the seedling elongation, although alter the properties of the sample. none of the differences are statistically significant. The publi- cation notes that the height "was slightly higher in lunar mate- Liverwort Studies—The Explanation rial for three of the four species measured," although it neglects to mention the lack of statistical significance of this What caused these results? An error occurred during experi- finding. mentation! Prior to the mission, all containers were main- The perceptive reader, however, will notice that a control is tained in the isolation cabinets. Since some cultures grew omitted from the table; plants exposed to Earth heated mate- poorly or developed infections, they were constantly evalu- rial. This was an unfortunate omission, as can be seen from the ated and the unhealthy specimens replaced by new cultures. unpublished data in table 4. It is apparent that the Earth soil To facilitate this process, the cultures were arranged accord- provided the greatest enhancement effect in all but the radish. ing to their overall size and health; the most vigorous on the Thus, while the lunar-exposed seedlings may have appeared top left, and the weakest on the bottom right. The worst cul- longer when compared to nutrient-deprived seedlings (possi- tures could then be quickly removed and fresh ones inserted bly a nutritional effect, most likely just normal variation in the appropriate hierarchy at any time prior to the start of caused by sampling), they were not as tall as plants grown on the experiment. pulverized terrestrial rocks. The technician performing this experiment was instructed to randomize the cultures prior to inoculation. However in his Fern Spore Growth—Presented Results excitement at handling the lunar soil, he forgot. The first cul- tures exposed were the healthiest, and they all received the After fern spores germinate, they develop into flattened, heart- lunar material. The progressively smaller ones received steril- shaped structures called gametophytes. According to the results ized lunar, then sterilized earth and finally, the last cultures section of the paper, "gametophytes developing in contact with were untreated. This explains the size differences, which were lunar materials grew. . . . approximately three times larger than noted almost from the start. plants not contacting the material." Unfortunately, the micro- Even though the explanation for the apparent growth stim- scopic size of the ferns, the way they were cultured, and the ulation was in hand, die photograph of selected culture vials requirement that they not be disturbed, made it impossible to was still widely disseminated as evidence of die stimulatory obtain quantitative data. However, when visually compared to effects of lunar material. spores which grew only on agar, all cultures showed a dramatic

5 0 November/December 1999 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER increase in size and greening when on, or directly adjacent to, were interpreted in the article's discussion section. In the any of the rock material. This growth enhancement appears to results section of the paper, the only reference to the tissue cul- represent 3 significant finding (figure 3). tures is that localized necrosis (dying) "was observed following Since ferns are an early pioneer species (one of die first to challenge with either terrestrial or lunar material. This reaction colonize barren rocks after volcanic eruptions or other cata- did not persist and was followed by an increased growth and strophic events), it would be logical to assume that the pigmentation after 2 weeks." No data were presented, but the enhancement was the result of a nutritional effect. That is, die statement implies that both terrestrial and lunar treatments plants "mined" the rock particles to provide chemical elements which are missing in the rest of Exposure Height of seedlings the media. Cabbage Lettuce Radish Spinach Spores are only a single cell and, unlike seeds, do not have a large reserve of nutrients to sustain Lunar 18.3 19.4 22.5 22.3 them during die first few weeks of life. Plants Lunar heated 16.9 19.7 24.8 24.8 need at least seventeen different elements as nutri- Untreated 16.7 16.0 24.2 21.7 ents; some are required in large quantities, while Table 3. Height (mm) of seedlings 15 days after germination in the presence of Apollo 11 lunar others are needed only in trace amounts. If an ele- material. ment is lacking, the result is poor growth, abnor- mal development, or death. responded similarly. According to the Bioscience article, nutritional supplemen- In the discussion section, these results were at first summa- tation by the soil could not be the explanation since "every rized as "certain tissue cultures dusted with a thin layer of attempt was made to provide each species widi optimum lev- lunar material benefited by this treatment." Then the discus- els of major and minor elements." sion became even bolder by saying that "the addition of lunar material. . .. caused marked increase in growth of these cul- Fern Spores—The Explanation Exposure Height of seedlings Contrary to die above statement, the growth Cabbage Spinach media did not provide any of the minor elements. Lettuce Radish The ferns were grown on Knops solution, which Lunar 18.3 19.4 22.5 22.3 contains only seven of the seventeen required ele- Lunar heated 16.9 19.7 24.8 24.8 ments normally provided by soils. This would be Earth heated 23.2 31.3 21.8 29.2 like providing a human with protein, fats, and 21.7 carbohydrates, but no vitamins or minerals. Untreated 16.7 16.0 24.2 Thus, it is understandable that spores grew Table 4. Same as Table 3, but with the missing data included. better on pulverized rock than on the nutrient-poor agar. Although not stated, the ferns growing on terrestrial soils tures." This eventually led to the speculation that tobacco tis- also exhibited enhanced growth. Although their color initially sue cultures were secreting acids that dissolve the lunar mater- lagged behind that of the plants on lunar material, after two ial. Not bad for a necrotic reaction! months of growth the Earth-treated plants developed the col- oration of the lunar-treated plants. The astute reader may notice that die results presented in Tissue Culture Growth—Actual Data table 5 of the Bioscience paper are incomplete. The lunar- The omission of any of the data for tissue cultures is interest- heated treatment of Onoclea sensibilis is missing. However, in ing since there were subjective evaluations of the cultures avail- this case die explanation is mundane; there were no data able. Nineteen days after exposure because the treatment had been to the materials, die cell masses were omitted for this species. Exposure Subjective Score (1-12) subjectively rated from 1 to 12, Day 2 Day 19 based on dieir overall health and Tissue Culture Growth— Lunar 10.9 7.9 vigor (pigmentation, texture, lack of Reported Results Lunar heated 11.4 7.9 necrosis and growth). These previ- Nine different species of plants were ously unpublished data (table 5) Earth heated 11.6 7.2 raised as tissue cultures and exposed show, even without statistical analy- to the soils. Small pieces of plants Untreated 11.5 8.9 sis, that there was no stimulatory were provided with nutrients and Table S. Average of 10 replicates each of 7 species maintained in effect of the soils. In fact, it is appar- hormones in an agar substrate. The tissue culture. Apollo 11 data. ent that all the cultures declined plant cells would typically grow as a mass of tissue within the during the experiment (an expected result since the cultures enclosing jar. were not provided with fresh media), and that the untreated It is interesting to see how the results of these experiments cultures had the highest score.

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER November/December 1999 51 Summary ments by other researchers uncover the truth, and the incor- rect conclusions are relegated to a footnote. The quarantine 1 have limited my observations to that research which 1 per- testing, however, was one of a kind. It is unfortunate that the sonally observed or participated in, and for which the origi- interpretation of the results has added to the mythology sur- nal data still exist. I am not disputing later, more carefully rounding the Moon. reported experiments which pursued some of these early findings. Notes When data are omitted from a manuscript, readers tend to assume the author omitted insignificant information to con- 1. Maloney. J. The Houston Poll, section 1, Jan. 24, 1970. 2. Cohen, V. Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service, 1969. serve space. However, this is not always the case. The history 3. Cohen, V. Boston Globe, p. 29, August 31, 1969. of science is filled with examples of wishful thinking that led 4. UPI. Houston Chronicle, section 2, p. 3, March 29, 1970. to unsupported conclusions: canals on Mars, polywater, and 5. Parade, January 4, 1970. 6. Walkinshaw, C, H. Sweet, S. Venketeswaran. and W. Home. Results of cold fusion are just a few. Apollo 11 and 12 Quarantine Studies on Plants. Bioscience. Vol. 20. #24. In most scientific study, subsequent repetitions of experi- 1297-1302. 1970. D

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