Yeast could be the key to building the first Martian cities
Building a human civilization on Mars will be orders of magnitude harder than any of the human migrations on Earth ever were. Here, you can build refuge anywhere, which is why our civilization is everywhere from pole to pole. If we ever hope to live on the red planet, we must build with the red dirt right beneath our boots, a challenge that has long been thought to demand expensive, huge…
Building a human civilization on Mars will be far more challenging than any past human migrations on Earth. To establish a presence on the red planet, we must utilize the red soil beneath our feet – a task previously considered impractical. Now, researchers have discovered a low-energy alternative that could revolutionize Martian construction.
Led by Jishen Qiu at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the team proposes using dormant yeast from Earth to breed trillions of helper cells in a vat. These cells would use Martian carbon dioxide and melted ground ice to create a "Martian living building material." This material consists of sand blended with a water-based binder made of pig-derived gelatin and genetically modified yeast.
When exposed to simulated Martian conditions – freezing temperatures around -85°F and an atmosphere only a hundred times thicker than the Red Planet's – the material solidifies and dehydrates on its own. The resulting composite material matches the compressive strength of lightweight concrete while boasting twice the flexural strength, making it resistant to bending forces. This property is crucial for withstanding high-speed debris during sandstorms.
The biocomposite demands significantly less material processing energy than traditional sintering techniques, requiring only an hour of solar power to produce 1 cubic meter of material, as opposed to days of continuous heating. While challenges remain, this approach appears more feasible than previous methods.
The secret to the material's strength lies in genetic modification of baker's yeast, transforming them into microscopic construction workers. The modified yeast cells possess proteins that anchor them to sand grains, produce synthetic mussel foot proteins for superstrong adhesion, and employ SpyTag and SpyCatcher proteins to create permanent chemical bonds between cells.
When extruded and exposed to cold Martian temperatures, the protein-coated yeast ice freezes into an orderly grid, preventing the material from cracking upon freezing.
This recyclable material has been tested to breaking point and then reused, with no loss in strength or stiffness after multiple generations. However, producing the composite requires pig gelatin imported from Earth. To achieve full independence, researchers must allow the yeast to synthesize the entire scaffold without relying on animal products.
Despite this limitation, the solution offers a lighter and more affordable alternative to previous construction methods that would otherwise be impractical for early Martian colonies.
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