{
  "id": 11841802,
  "title": "Mars shelter problem can be solved with engineered yeast, gelatin and sand: paper",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/mars-shelter-problem-can-be-solved-with-engineered-yeast-gelatin-and-11841802",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-04T04:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3368830/mars-shelter-problem-can-be-solved-engineered-yeast-gelatin-and-sand-paper"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have developed a low-cost, \"living\" building material for potential Mars settlers, according to a recent paper. This innovative material, created using genetically engineered yeast, gelatin, and sand, could revolutionize construction on the Red Planet.\n\nThe scientists created a biological binder that binds together granular materials, achieving a compressive strength of 12 megapascals. This strength is 170% higher than that of conventional building materials and significantly lower in cost than transporting materials from Earth. The Martian environment poses unique challenges for construction, with temperatures below -50°C, an atmosphere less than 1% as dense as Earth's, and high energy requirements to process soil into bricks.\n\nTo address these challenges, the researchers used proteins such as mussel foot proteins to strengthen the links between the yeast cells, gelatin binder, and aggregate particles. The engineered yeast contributes to a more uniform pore structure and enhances the material's strength. The material is designed to harden through freeze-drying, leaving behind a porous gelatin scaffold with yeast cells embedded in its walls.\n\nThe team demonstrated the material's potential by 3D printing a small beacon-like structure inside an environmental chamber simulating Martian conditions, such as 0.01 atmospheres and -30°C. The printed structure was 45mm high and 30mm in diameter. The researchers estimate that producing 1 cubic meter of the biological material would require less than an hour of solar-panel operation, compared to several days to sinter the same volume of Martian regolith into a solid block.\n\nMoreover, the material can be remanufactured after being crushed, rehydrated, and gently heated. The researchers suggest that, theoretically, this process could reduce the reliance on Earth-supplied resources to just tens of kilograms of raw materials, with the rest consisting of gelatin and yeast nutrients. While the material still depends on Earth-supplied resources, Qiu believes that if organic gelatin or nutrients can be produced on Mars using resources like methane, carbon dioxide, and water ice, the dependence on Earth would decrease significantly.",
  "summary": "Future settlers on Mars would need houses, but they must either spend huge sums transporting construction materials from Earth or use enormous amounts of energy to melt Martian soil into bricks. Scientists in Hong Kong say they have developed a quick and low-cost “living” building material made from genetically engineered yeast, gelatin and sand that can be 3D printed under conditions simulating…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Mars shelter problem can be solved with engineered yeast, gelatin and sand: paper",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/mars-shelter-problem-can-be-solved-with-engineered-yeast-gelatin-and",
        "published": "2026-10-04T04:00:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}