Tamar
Wygodny
MSc Student
De Novo food production on Mars
Exploring the possibilities of life outside our planet Earth is a fascinating subject. Cyanothece are a specie of microalgae that can not only fix CO2 through photosynthesis but can also fix N2. In our research, we aim to acclimate Cyanothece to Martian atmosphere – high pCO2, low pN2, and low pressure. Since Cyanobacteria used to roam our planet 3.5 billion years ago when the atmosphere was similar to that of Mars, we will try to awaken their ancestral genes with accelerated evolution techniques, thus helping them thrive again in these conditions.
Exploring the possibilities of life outside our planet Earth is a fascinating subject. Cyanothece are a specie of microalgae that can not only fix CO2 through photosynthesis but can also fix N2. In our research, we aim to acclimate Cyanothece to Martian atmosphere – high pCO2, low pN2, and low pressure. Since Cyanobacteria used to roam our planet 3.5 billion years ago when the atmosphere was similar to that of Mars, we will try to awaken their ancestral genes with accelerated evolution techniques, thus helping them thrive again in these conditions.