Environment Life

Microbes could be key to surviving on Mars

Fahad Redha

January 7, 2026
3 min read

Microbes could be key to surviving on Mars

Rather than shipping materials from Earth, researchers are exploring how microbes could work together to turn the planet’s dust into a concrete-like material, and potentially even help generate oxygen. The ultimate goal is for 3D-printable habitats using local resources.

Doing so would significantly reduce the cost of crewed missions to Mars, opening up the planet for further human exploration.

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Mars once had a thick atmosphere that protected its surface. But today, its air is very thin, composed mainly of carbon dioxide, with the pressure on the surface being just one percent of Earth’s. Temperatures on the red planet can swing between -90°C up to 26°C. It also has no protection from the Sun’s radiation and no breathable air, all of which needs to be taken into account before human habitats can be built.

Shipping large amounts of material from Earth would be very expensive. Building using materials already on the planet would be a far more practical and cost-effective approach. In situ resource utilization (ISRU) means using local materials. It is vital for any future plans for the planet.

Samples have been collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover from the Jezero Crater, an ancient riverbed, which could contain evidence of ancient life. Life on Earth began with simple microbes underwater, eventually helping to alter the planet, including the atmosphere.

This research takes inspiration from natural systems, the focus being biomineralization, where microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and microalgae, create minerals as part of their metabolism. This has helped to shape the landscape of Earth for billions of years. Many microbes are known as extremophiles, meaning that they can survive and even thrive in harsh environments.

The research was conducted by Shiva Khoshtinat, Jared Long-Fox, Seyed Mohammad Javad Hosseini. Their study was titled: From Earth to Mars: a perspective on exploiting biomineralization for Martian construction. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2025; 16 DOI. It can be found here: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1645014

Image: NASA/Clouds AO/SEArch

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