Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why the UAE plans to grow lettuce on Mars
The United Arab Emirates, or the UAE, is a federation of seven emirates, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf. Of the total population of nine million, Emirati citizens account for only about 15%, and the rest of the residents are expatriates. Though the emirates are financially rich with their abundant oil and gas reserves, they are trying to shift their core value from natural resources to human resources.
One of such initiatives is to launch a Mars probe, like some other states and ventures. But they want to go beyond. They’ve unveiled their ambition to make the red planet sustainably habitable by producing water and plants, such as palm trees, lettuces, and tomatoes.
Sounds very ambitious, doesn’t it? But science drives technology and engineering. Even though growing lettuce sounds too-futuristic on the soil of Mars for now, given the similarities between the red planet and Arab deserts, this scientific venture may bring about realistic and practical solutions to make use of their land, not to mention the forward-looking scientists and progressive engineers who will be moved by this bald ambition.
Enjoy reading and thinking what drove Singapore’s economy and academy.
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