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.  

For their proof-of-principle experiment, the ISRO scientists used Martian soil simulant and demonstrated that the bacteria transformed the urea into crystals of calcium carbonate and also secreted a sticky biopolymer substance. The nickel chloride helps the bacteria grow despite the soil’s high iron content, which is typically toxic to bacteria.

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