Construction On Mars: Fungi And Bacteria Create Self-Growing Material

Written by Carla Teles

Published on 27/06/2025 at 17:13

Updated on 27/06/2025 at 17:14

Descubra como fungos e bactérias se unem para criar um material de construção autocultivante em Marte. Uma revolução para a construção extraterrestre e a futura colonização. Imagem: Interesting Engineering

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Researchers Develop System That Imitates Lichens to Create Structures Autonomously, Using Resources From the Planet Itself and Revolutionizing the Future of Space Colonization.

Living on Mars is an old dream of humanity. However, the construction of colonies faces a major obstacle. Sending materials from Earth is expensive and unfeasible. Now, new research proposes an innovative solution: a construction material that grows on its own, using a partnership between fungi and bacteria.

The Challenge of Construction Off Earth

The colonization of Mars fundamentally depends on new construction techniques. Utilizing the resources available on the planet is essential. Sending huge amounts of materials from Earth via rockets is impractical and prohibitively expensive. Previous research approaches, while promising, have always faced a critical hurdle: the need for human assistance or a continuous supply of nutrients, which is not feasible on Mars.

Innovation for Building on Mars

To solve this problem, researchers led by Dr. Congrui Grace Jin from Texas A&M University developed a synthetic lichen system. The team, funded by NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program, spent years perfecting the biofabrication of living materials. The idea is to create a synthetic community that mimics natural lichens, capable of autonomously producing construction materials to build houses, buildings, and even furniture.

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How the Partnership Between Fungi and Bacteria Works

The system mimics the symbiotic collaboration of lichens. It combines two types of organisms: filamentous fungi and cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are true powerhouses: they use the Martian atmosphere to fix carbon dioxide and dinitrogen, producing oxygen and nutrients for the fungi. In turn, the fungi act as natural builders. They provide water and minerals for the cyanobacteria and serve as an anchor for the production of biominerals. Together, they secrete biopolymers that bind the particles of Martian soil, forming a solid and consolidated structure.

Toward Autonomous Construction on the Red Planet

The greatest advantage of this technology is its complete autonomy. The system only needs three basic elements: air, light, and Martian regolith (simulated in the lab), along with an inorganic liquid medium. There is no need for complex supply chains or any human intervention.

According to Jin, “the potential of this self-growing technology to enable long-term extraterrestrial exploration and colonization is significant.” The next step for the team is to develop a “regolith ink” for 3D printing these bio-structures, paving the way for truly autonomous construction on the Red Planet. With this advancement, the future of extraterrestrial construction is, literally, growing before our eyes.

With information from Interesting Engineering.

1 Comment

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Natalicio Miguel de lima

#146849

02/07/2025 11:32

Extraordinario em breve isso deixará de ser um sonho para vira realidade.

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Construction On Mars: Fungi And Bacteria Create Self-Growing Material

Researchers Develop System That Imitates Lichens to Create Structures Autonomously, Using Resources From the Planet Itself and Revolutionizing the Future of Space Colonization.

The Challenge of Construction Off Earth

Innovation for Building on Mars

How the Partnership Between Fungi and Bacteria Works

Toward Autonomous Construction on the Red Planet

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Construction On Mars: Fungi And Bacteria Create Self-Growing Material

Researchers Develop System That Imitates Lichens to Create Structures Autonomously, Using Resources From the Planet Itself and Revolutionizing the Future of Space Colonization.

The Challenge of Construction Off Earth

Innovation for Building on Mars

How the Partnership Between Fungi and Bacteria Works

Toward Autonomous Construction on the Red Planet

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A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

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Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

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