Take bacteria on Mars - and make food, medicine or work tools out of it
In the article they present their concept for this year’s work: Creating a self-sustaining co-culture, that can host bioplastic-producing bacteria for 3D printing in space. But the possibilities are endless – in the future the device could be adapted to supply astronauts with food, medicine and other necessities for life in space
Our iGEM team this year – CosmoCrops – is featured in a prominent article in Jyllands-Posten
Striving to the top is the goal of the CosmoCrops team when they are taking part in International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition in synthetic biology this October in Boston. The team will bring there a new perspective for future space explorers of how to be independent from receiving materials from the Earth.
Jyllands-Posten article tells us about 10 enthusiastic students who come from the areas of biology, computer science, biophysics and mathematics. The concept of their project is to create a co-culture that can host both bacteria Bacillus subtilis and cyanobacteria. The latest would produce sugars by using its photosynthetic machine, sunlight and CO2. B. subtilis can then use the sugars to live off. CosmoCrops team modifies bacteria with added plastic-producing genes and the system can therefore drive the process of plastic materials production. Later on, the plastic can be harvested and used in a 3D printer to make tools or other devices needed by the astronauts.
With this concept different bacteria capable of producing various products can be taken into space to help with making of food or medicines.
Link to Article in Jyllandsposten