Mars astronauts could live in houses made of yeast and jello, say scientists
Low-energy 3D printing could turn Martian dirt into sturdy structures
If humans ever make it to Mars - and that’s still a big IF - they will need to build shelters there. And they could build those shelters out of yeast and gelatin, if a method described by Hong Kong-based researchers makes it out of the lab.
A paper published on Thursday by a group of researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University describes a method for building structures on Mars that doesn’t rely on energy-intensive heating to turn regolith into building blocks. The team instead turned to bioengineered yeast and gelatin mixed with simulated Mars dirt to 3D print structures.
"My inspiration came from freeze-dried fruits that become harder,” senior author Jishen Qiu, an associate professor at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, toldCell Press, the publisher...
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