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In the next few decades, mankind will expand its territory to outer space, colonizing earth-like planets and terraforming them to house humans. The red planet, Mars, is the best suitable candidate for a space colony, due to its atmospheric properties, temperature, sunlight exposure and gravity. When considering a space-colony on Mars, many envision hyper-modern, tech-fueled cities full of robots and made out of glass and steel. However, it is extremely costly (if not impossible) to bring all building materials for such a colony from Earth in a spacecraft, especially in the first stages of space colonization. So, what if we could bring a material to space which is light, fibrous and has excellent mechanical properties, but will weigh less than a gram on our spaceships? And what if this material could grow endlessly and repair itself?

That’s the thinking behind NASA’s myco-architecture project. The space agency is preparing a plan, led by astrobiologist Lynn Rothschild, to grow buildings out of fungal mycelium, which consists of branching, thread-like networks. Lynn Rothschild argues that humans want to take as little as possible to space. Fungi are natural builders which can grow in harsh environments using very little resources. As an added benefit, their weight is negligible (Hall, 2020).

That sounds great, but how does it work exactly?

Fungi grow very rapidly using their mycelia. Once on Mars, Rothschild envisions large (plastic) containers in which the fungi will be seeded, along with dried feedstock for the mycelia. To initiate the fungal growth, a small amount of Martian or terrestrial water needs to be used. Also, the container should be heated to allow the mycelia to grow. Consequently, the fungi will rapidly fill the container. Afterwards, the heating element would be used to bake the mycelia on a higher temperature, hardening the network rapidly. What is left is a very sturdy structure. If the structure is damaged, the mycelia are simply fed more feedstock and some water is added, after which the structure will self-repair (Travares, 2020).

The mycelia will form an entire ecosystem, including certain bacteria that can produce oxygen for astronauts and provide food for the mycelia. The fungi can also be used for water filtration, bioluminescent lighting and humidity regulation. Also, mycelia are known as great insulators, fire retardants and are non-toxic. They inhibit superior bending strength than reinforced concrete and compression strength comparable to strong lumber.

Moreover, mycelia have the ability to absorb radioactivity, suggesting that the mycelium structures could shield astronauts from exposure to radioactivity on Mars (Travares, 2020)

More research  needs to be done to accurately assess the perfect growing temperatures, water usage and feedstock for the mycelia. As well as assessing which type of mycelium is the most fitting for the job. Extensive data, as well as 3D models are used in predicting the most ideal structures of extraterrestrial colonies. However, if this research is successful and is deemed viable, our future space-colonies will most likely be (partially) grown, and not built, using sustainable fungi!

 

 

References:

Travares, F., 2020. Could Future Homes On The Moon And Mars Be Made Of Fungi?. [online] NASA. Available at: <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/myco-architecture> [Accessed 10 October 2020].

 

Hall, L., 2020. Myco-Architecture Off Planet: Growing Surface Structures. [online] NASA. Available at: <https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2018_Phase_I_Phase_II/Myco-architecture_off_planet/> [Accessed 10 October 2020].

 

 

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Opinion

Society is polarizing at accelerating speeds. Evidence of this can be seen all over the world: extreme right and extreme left politicians are dominating the political landscape; fierce ideologies are on the rise and discrimination against minorities is still encountered way too often. Although polarization can have many causes, it is likely impacted by social media. As social media is a blessing for many, allowing them to stay connected with friends, family or work during times of social distancing – it certainly has a downside.

One of the most controversial aspects of social media are algorithmic recommendations, which  are algorithms specifically designed to present certain content to the user, based on personal preferences. Perfect for when you can’t get enough of cat-videos, but more harmful when this content is controversial, polarizing or simply fake. As explained in the documentary The Social Dilemma, which aired on Netflix a few weeks ago, algorithmic recommendations do not possess an ethical component. The algorithm is designed with one goal, and one goal only: profit maximization for the giant tech companies. For example, Facebook’s algorithm is designed to maximize your time spent on the app, make you consume as much content as possible and thus maximize the advertisement income you generate for the company. A team of behavioral scientists, psychologists and neurologists think of clever ways to keep the user engaged and make them return to the platform as often as possible.

As a result of this algorithmic recommendations, social media users are presented mostly with content of which the algorithm predicts the user is interested in, after which they get stuck in a ‘filter bubble’ (Chaney 2020). The algorithm does this extremely well, as it uses machine learning to assess what content appeals to you. Moreover, the platform knows more about the user than you can possibly imagine, making accurate recommendations much simpler.

On average, internet users spend 2,5 hours per day on social media, with some teens spending up to 6 hours per day on the platforms (Metev 2020). A large portion of their wake-time is thus spent consuming biased, often one-sided information. This will likely increase polarization, due to this confirmation bias of reading, listening and watching other likeminded people daily. Inevitably, the gap between different groups in society grows. Users are stuck in their ‘filter bubble’, impacting their awareness of the world and leading to tremendous information asymmetry (Chaney 2020). People consume different news and different facts on a daily basis. So, if people are entitled to their own facts, thorough research and proper journalism will be overshadowed by fake news with flashy headlines.

This also explains the rise of conspiracy theories in the last few years. Algorithms know exactly what kind of users are susceptible to fake news and conspiracies, due to their prior search history, clicks and friends. The algorithms are not actively trying to convince users that the earth is indeed flat, they are simply providing you with content that you will consume, engage with and share with others. All of these actions enlarge engagement with the platform and therefore increase advertisement revenues. Whereas the flat earth conspiracy would have been a fantasy of five friends living in their mothers’ basements twenty years ago, social media allows it to spread to many millions, influencing celebrities, parents and teachers along the way. In the end, all that these conspiracies are doing is adding to a growing distrust in authorities, the media and scientist, which I find extremely worrying.

I honestly believe that overcoming the information asymmetry, spreading of fake news, polarization and the growing distrust in authorities, journalism and science will be one of the greatest challenges of our generation. And if you haven’t seen The Social Dilemma, I highly recommend you watch it. Interested to see what you think!

 

References:

Chaney, A., 2020. Why Our Media Silos Are Promoting Political Polarization. [online] Today.duke.edu. Available at: <https://today.duke.edu/2020/09/why-our-media-silos-are-promoting-political-polarization> [Accessed 30 September 2020].

Metev, D., 2020. How Much Time Do People Spend On Social Media In 2020?. [online] Review42. Available at: <https://review42.com/how-much-time-do-people-spend-on-social-media/#:~:text=The%20average%20US%20adult%20spends,was%20142%20minutes%20a%20day.> [Accessed 30 September 2020].

The Social Dilemma. 2020. [Netflix].