Its Alive!<\/p>\n
Scientists at the University of Colorado, Boulder have created whatThe New York Timescalls a living concrete, teeming with photosynthetic bacteria, that can grow itself and regenerate itself much like a living organism.<\/p>\n
The concrete is a mixture of gelatin, sand, and cyanobacteria that cools similarly to Jell-O, the Times reports. The resulting structure was able to regenerate itself three times after researchers cut it apart, suggesting apotential breakthrough in the nascent field of self-assembling materials.<\/p>\n
The living concrete, which the Colorado scientists made in partnership with DARPA, starts out as a sickly green color that fades as the bacteria dies off, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Matter.<\/p>\n
It really does look like a Frankenstein material, UC Boulder engineer and project leader Will Srubar told the NYT.<\/p>\n
Even as the color fades, the bacteria survive for several weeks and can be rejuvenated resulting in further growth under the right conditions.<\/p>\n
DARPA is particularly interested in a self-growing material that it can use to assemble structures in remote desert areas, or potentially even in space, according to the NYT.<\/p>\n
If the living concrete can scale up to that level, it could reduce the amount and weight of materials that space agencies will need to launch.<\/p>\n
Theres no way were going to carry building materials to space, Srubar told the NYT. Well bring biology with us.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Bricks Alive! Scientists Create Living Concrete [New York Times]<\/p>\n
More on materials: Scientists Create Material With Living Metabolism<\/p>\n
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Scientists Create "Living Concrete" That Can Heal Itself - Futurism<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Its Alive! Scientists at the University of Colorado, Boulder have created whatThe New York Timescalls a living concrete, teeming with photosynthetic bacteria, that can grow itself and regenerate itself much like a living organism. The concrete is a mixture of gelatin, sand, and cyanobacteria that cools similarly to Jell-O, the Times reports. The resulting structure was able to regenerate itself three times after researchers cut it apart, suggesting apotential breakthrough in the nascent field of self-assembling materials. Continue reading