California biotech nonprofit Pioneer Labs unveils sPL.001 for Mars bioplastics
Technology
A California nonprofit biotechnology research startup, Pioneer Labs, has just introduced a new microbe called sPL.001 that could make living on Mars way more doable.
This tiny organism can survive in simulated Martian soil and churn out bioplastics, with the toxins removed, or with fertilizer added, which is a big step toward making Mars settlements sustainable.
sPL.001 reduces contamination and resupply needs
Mars's soil is toxic, but sPL.001 only lives in special bioreactors with set nutrients, so there's less risk of contamination and less need to haul supplies from Earth.
Plus, its bioplastics can be 3-D printed into building materials for habitats (Pioneer Labs's CEO Erika DeBenedictis said, "Life finds a way!").