THE STORY BEHIND THE SATIRE · A laboratory · Apr 30
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Space industry hires lichens
What happened
Imperial College London researchers engineered fast-growing lichens as a potential biological feedstock for manufacturing materials beyond Earth.
Why it matters
Organisms that grow using light and limited inputs could help astronauts make useful products without paying to launch every kilogram of raw material from Earth.
The Blappos angle
Mars colonization proudly sponsored by stuff on a rock.
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