Atmospheric pressure 100 times lower than Earth’s, cosmic radiation, and polar temperatures: welcome to Mars, my friends! Well, so to speak. Yet green algae not only survive, they thrive. A Harvard experiment proves it, and it could change the way we think about habitats on Mars.
Researchers have grown algae Dunaliella tertiolecta (my daughter says it sounds like the name of a brainrot, ed.) in bioplastic containers, perfectly simulating Martian conditions. The twist? The algae produce the bioplastic for their own containers: basically a system that would build itself and expand without needing supplies from Earth. Finally, a biological approach to space colonization that can actually work. Or can it?
When Biology Beats Engineering
Robin Wordsworth and his team at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have published in Science Advances a study that completely overturns the approach to habitats on Mars. Instead of thinking of metal structures or Martian concrete, they chose the biological route. Algae Dunaliella tertiolecta They grow happily in containers made of polylactic acid (PLA), the bioplastic usually found in biodegradable cutlery.
The experiment faithfully recreates Martian conditions: atmospheric pressure of 600 Pascals (compared to 101.000 on Earth), an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide and ultraviolet radiation. The algae not only survive, but produce oxygen and biomass useful for creating more bioplastic. A cycle that feeds itself and grows over time.
Algae for a Habitat on Mars: The Secret Is Stabilized Pressure
The main problem on Mars is liquid water, which at that atmospheric pressure boils instantly. As he explains Wordsworth:
“If you put a glass of water on the Martian surface, it freezes and turns to vapor in a very short time.”
Bioplastic containers create a pressure gradient that stabilizes the water inside them, allowing the algae to photosynthesize normally. Transparent bioplastic allows enough light for photosynthesis but blocks harmful UV radiation. A perfect compromise that protects and nourishes at the same time.
Self-replicating habitats on Mars
The research previous one from the same team had demonstrated that silica aerogel sheets can simulate Earth's greenhouse effect to enable biological growth. By combining the two technologies, temperature and pressure become manageable to support plant life.
“If you have a habitat that’s made of bioplastic, and you have algae growing in it, that algae can produce more bioplastic. So you have a closed-loop system that sustains itself and grows over time.”
Bioplastic vs. Martian Concrete
NASA projects for habitats on Mars often rely on “Martian concrete” made of ice, calcium oxide and local rocks. Algae bioplastic offers decisive advantages: it is self-produced, completely recyclable and creates an environment favorable to life. Rafid Quayum, a member of the team, emphasizes: “Physicists, engineers and planetary scientists have joined forces to understand how to make extraterrestrial environments habitable.”
Il SEABIOPLAS project of the European Union has already demonstrated that seaweed can produce bioplastics without consuming land or fresh water. On Mars, this approach would completely eliminate dependence on terrestrial resources.
Next steps to the stars
The team is now testing the systems in vacuum conditions to simulate lunar and deep space applications. The goal is to design a fully enclosed system for habitat production on Mars. Love Menezes of the University of Florida comments:
"This is tremendously exciting. A trip and stay on Mars will last about two years, we can't take everything with us."
Come I was already writing to you about the Martian moss, biology often proves more adaptable than engineering in extreme conditions. Life always finds a way.
Algae bioplastics aren’t just a solution for Mars: they’re a new paradigm for terrestrial sustainability. Materials that grow instead of being mined, systems that self-reproduce instead of consuming finite resources. Wordsworth concludes:
“The concept of biomaterial habitats is fundamentally interesting and can support humans in space. As this technology develops, it will have spin-off benefits for sustainability technology here on Earth.”
The home of the future could actually be a living organism that breathes, grows, and adapts. On Mars as on Earth.
