© 2026 Central Florida Public Media. All Rights Reserved.
90.7 FM Orlando • 89.5 FM Ocala
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Martian Colonists Will Have To Eat Bugs

Artist's interpretation of SpaceX's Martian colony. Photo: SpaceX
Artist's interpretation of SpaceX's Martian colony. Photo: SpaceX

If you want to live on Mars, you’ll have to eat bugs.

That’s according to new research published by a team of University of Central Florida scientists in the journal New Space.

Companies like SpaceX are looking to send the first colonists in the next decade. For that, UCF planetary scientist Kevin Cannon said they’ll have to produce much of their own food.

Agriculture like grain, wheat and corn require a lot of land and additional resources like soil, water and fertilizer. Bugs require a lot less resources. We speak with Cannon about his findings and the future of a new food source -- cellular agriculture.

Then, we're asking about space exploration and the movies in our new segment "I’d Like To Know"  where we take your questions and pose them to a panel of expert scientists. We’re joined by University of Central Florida Planetary Scientists and hosts of the podcast Walk About The Galaxy: Addie Dove, Jim Cooney and Josh Colwell.

Brendan Byrne is Central Florida Public Media's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing the organization's internship program. Byrne also hosts Central Florida Public Media's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration, and the weekly news roundup podcast "The Wrap."