Can marsh thistle plants grow on Mars? Can pea plants? You might think the answer to these questions is obviously no, but researchers in the Netherlands recently showed that many common plant species can thrive in soil designed to simulate Martian conditions, as long as water is supplied. In fact, some species actually did better in Martian soil than in Earth soil: 54 percent of marsh thistle plants grown in simulated Martian soil were alive after 50 days, compared with 46 percent that were when planted in soil from their home planet.
Desmos Graphing Calculator
Verbal·Craft and Structure·Text Structure and Purpose
mediumWhich choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
A
It states a common assumption that the rest of the text shows to be false.
B
It summarizes the researchers’ methods in detail.
C
It presents the study’s main conclusion.
D
It questions whether water was supplied to the plants.