The team was led by climatologist and planetary scientist Robin Wordsworth. In the laboratory, scientists have created a special chamber made of polylactic acid - bioplastics, which is made from renewable resources and completely decomposes. Inside this chamber, they cultivated algae of the Dunaliella tertiolecta species.
The camera was 3D printed and designed to replicate the atmosphere of Mars: low pressure (less than 1% of Earth's) and high Co₂ content. Despite the extreme conditions, the algae not only survived, but also efficiently carried out photosynthesis.
In the future, bioplastics can become the basis for the construction of environmentally friendly, "living" structures on other planets. It is easy to produce locally, which means it does not need to be transported from the Ground.
However, scientists emphasize that there is still a lot of research ahead. It will take years to create a stable extraterrestrial ecosystem, but these early successes are already paving the way for autonomous life beyond the planet. korrespondent.net.
