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Comment by poulsbohemian | Hacker News Reader

I'm surprised the greenhouse isn't larger and/or there isn't significant research there about growing under man-made conditions. I would think for example NASA might be able to use it as a research center while also benefitting the diets of the rest of the researchers there.

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Wouldn't a larger greenhouse require more power and therefore more fuel for the generators? I would figure that's a major reason why.

I was wonder why they don't have chickens somewhere so that they can have fresh eggs/meat/etc. It could potentially be a good way to re-use food scraps, although I'm sure they're already doing something useful with those.

> I was wonder why they don't have chickens somewhere

It's probably a bio security thing. If these chickens escape into the wild there's the risk of infecting the local bird life with new diseases or viruses that the local population have no defences against.

If the chickens escaped, wouldn't they be frozen solid in minutes and effectively biologically inert?

You'd be OK at the pole, but somewhere like McMurdo? It's often mild enough for a chicken to survive in the summer for a while, certainly long enough to interact with local wildlife.

Plus, scavengers would still be an issue with dead birds.

If the goal is to research growing in man made conditions then you don't really get anything out of the logistical difficulty of Antartica. The natural conditions are the whole point.

The research is not just "we can grow things", but what is required to do it successfully long term, with significant logistical challenges.

You would also bring value to the inhabitants of the base, so it's not just the gain in knowledge.

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