Weaving Life into Regolith: Engineered Autotrophic-Heterotrophic Consortia for Autonomous Biofabrication from Granular Feedstocks

TL;DR

This study demonstrates engineered microbial consortia inspired by lichens that can autonomously convert Martian regolith simulant into biominerals, advancing autonomous biofabrication for space exploration.

Contribution

It introduces a novel autotrophic-heterotrophic microbial system capable of biomineralization from granular feedstocks without external nutrients.

Findings

Consortia supported growth and mineral production on Martian regolith simulant.

Metabolomic analysis showed coordinated carbon and nitrogen metabolism.

Mineral consolidation of regolith particles was achieved.

Abstract

Long-duration human missions to Mars will require autonomous systems capable of converting in situ resources into structural materials, tools, and functional components. More broadly, such systems represent a class of resource-limited bioprocesses relevant to extreme-environment manufacturing. Here, we investigate engineered autotrophic-heterotrophic consortia, inspired by lichen biology, as a platform for autonomous biofabrication from granular feedstocks. We experimentally screened filamentous fungi and paired them with diazotrophic cyanobacteria to identify mutually supportive consortia capable of sustained growth and biomineral production in the presence of Martian regolith simulant as the primary inorganic substrate, without external organic carbon or nitrogen inputs. Selected co-cultures exhibited evidence of metabolic coupling, and untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed coordinated reprogramming consistent with integrated carbon and nitrogen metabolism within the consortia. These systems facilitated mineral consolidation of regolith particles, demonstrating the feasibility of near-closed-loop biomineral production under resource-limited conditions. While integration with additive manufacturing remains conceptual, this study establishes a framework for engineering self-sustaining microbial consortia for biomaterials production and highlights opportunities for coupling metabolism with material synthesis in both extraterrestrial and terrestrial environments.