It seems that experts are not wasting one minute these days! Here are the latest reports about how they found a way to make Oxygen on Mars.
How to make oxygen on Mars
Scientists have discovered a type of Bacteria called Chroococcidiopsis cubana that lives in deserts. These bacteria can feed on sunlight, absorb carbon dioxide, and release oxygen. They have developed a biocoating that can be incorporated into paint. This paint can be used in a habitat on Mars to supplement the air. The biocoating emits oxygen and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.
The implications of this discovery are not limited to space travel but also have implications for Earth.
A team of scientists led by microbiologist Simone Krings from the University of Surrey in the UK made this discovery.
“With the increase in greenhouse gasses, particularly CO2, in the atmosphere and concerns about water shortages due to rising global temperatures, we need innovative, environmentally friendly, and sustainable materials,” says bacteriologist Suzie Hingley-Wilson of the University of Surrey.
“Mechanically robust, ready-to-use biocoatings, or ‘living paints,’ could help meet these challenges by reducing water consumption in typically water-intensive bioreactor-based processes.”
Chroococcidiopsis is a unique genus of bacteria that can survive in some of the harshest environments on Earth.
Even in places where it seems impossible for any form of life to exist, this bacterium can thrive. It uses a unique type of photosynthesis that allows it to make the most of extremely low-light conditions, and has a backup survival mechanism for even darker places. It has been found in the pitch-black depths of ultra-deep caves and in Earth’s lower crust beneath the ocean floor.
Chroococcidiopsis cubana is known to live in deserts with conditions similar to those on Mars. Like other cyanobacteria, it has desirable properties in its metabolism.
The bacterium absorbs CO2, which it then fixes through photosynthesis to create organic compounds and release oxygen as a byproduct.
Krings and her team aimed to create a biocoating that can utilize the properties of living bacteria. Biocoatings are similar to paint, in which layers of living bacteria are incorporated. However, the coatings cannot contain any harmful ingredients that could damage the bacteria.
This is a difficult task as the biocoating matrix needs to be both porous for hydration and cell transport, and mechanically robust and hard.
The team developed a method of mixing latex with nanoclay particles to achieve these properties while securely enclosing the bacteria in the coating.
“The photosynthetic Chroococcidiopsis have an extraordinary ability to survive in extreme environments, like droughts and after high levels of UV radiation exposure,” Krings says. “This makes them potential candidates for Mars colonization.”
Science Alert has all the other important details available on this extremely interesting subject.
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