At last — a use for algae that doesn’t involve a smoothie or a self-righteous health kick. Scientists at Harvard have managed to grow it in conditions mimicking the Martian surface, and honestly, it’s the most intelligent life associated with Mars since Elon Musk started tweeting.
The experiment, carried out in a delightfully dystopian 3D-printed bioplastic chamber, essentially proved that algae can survive where most humans can’t – which, let’s face it, is becoming a growing list of places. By simulating Mars’ charming atmosphere of soul-crushing cold, UV radiation, and barely-there air pressure, the team demonstrated that life doesn’t just find a way — it builds the shelter, grows the food, and might even print the furniture.
The chamber itself was made of polylactic acid, a bioplastic that shields the algae from UV death rays while still letting in enough light to power photosynthesis. This not only allowed Dunaliella tertiolecta (yes, even algae get fancy names) to survive, but possibly to form the basis of a closed-loop life system. Imagine that: a habitat made of algae, housing algae, to make more algae. That’s not sci-fi — that’s succession planning.
According to Professor Robin Wordsworth — who sounds like he should be writing sonnets about Martian soil — the bioplastic shelters could become self-replicating. Meaning humanity’s first Martian suburb might be green, squishy, and entirely indifferent to your Wi-Fi signal.
This, of course, follows their previous work with silica aerogels to keep things warm on Mars. Put both ideas together and you get what Earth has been failing to achieve for decades: a working, sustainable climate system with zero politicians involved.
Next up: vacuum testing. Not the Dyson kind — the space kind. Because if we can get this to work on the Moon or in deep space, it means life doesn’t need Earth anymore. And frankly, who could blame it?
So while the rest of the planet debates whether AI will steal our jobs, algae is quietly setting up its own LinkedIn in a Martian zip code. It doesn’t need a corner office. It is the corner.
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