Difference between revisions of "Team:Stanford-Brown-RISD"

A turtle carries its own habitat. While it is reliable, it costs energy. NASA makes the same trade-off when it transports habitats and other structures needed to lunar and planetary surfaces increasing upmass, and affecting other mission goals. But what if it didn’t have to be transported from earth? What if it could be grown on planet? The Stanford-Brown-RISD iGEM team proposes to explore the use of fungal mycelium, the vegetative structure of fungi, as a light-weight, durable material that could be grown on planet using spores to create habitats and other necessary items. The team will focus on developing a design for a habitat from mycelium as a proof of concept, and using synthetic biology to enhance the filtration and adhesion capabilities of the mycelium. The team will further explore the implications and uses of these biodegradable, self-growing structures made of fungi on Earth.