Scientists working with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) proposed a method for building habitats on Mars using "bacteria bricks", a press statement reveals.
In a paper in the journal PLoS One, the researchers outline their plan for combining Martian soil with a gel-like material called guar gum, urea, nickel chloride, and a bacteria strain called Sporosarcina pasteurii. All of that would form the building blocks for habitats on the red planet.
The proposal joins a list of odd building material proposals for Mars that reflect the scarcity of materials for future missions to the red planet, and the requirement to make the most of any and every resource available. Last year, for example, the University of Manchester proposed building Mars habitats with astronaut blood and pee.
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