CHINA FARMS THE MOON: There a new form of life on the Moon. It’s a potato. Photos released today by the China National Space Administration show that rapeseed, potato and cotton seeds are sprouting inside the Chang’e-4 lunar lander, which touched down on the Moon’s farside earlier this month. This experiment in far-out farming could pave the way for future Chinese astronauts to live and work on the Moon. NASA, meanwhile, is on furlough. Free: SWx Newsletter