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Biomineralization-enabled self-growing building blocks for habitat outfitting on Mars

Biomineralization-enabled self-growing building blocks for habitat outfitting on Mars
Biomineralization-enabled self-growing building blocks for habitat outfitting on Mars Using synthetic biology, 2023 NIAC fellow Congrui Jin proposes a revolutionary approach to Mars habitat outfitting: a synthetic lichen system of cyanobacteria and filamentous fungi that transforms Martian regolith into self-growing building blocks. This biomineralization process not only offers a sustainable way to create structures on Mars but also has potential applications on Earth, from disaster relief to decarbonization. Congrui Jin