Overview

This year, we made a bold attempt to explore outer space and target modifying the environment of terrestrial planets, which will benefit all mankind in the future. It's extremely hard to determine all the stakeholders since our project will work for all humans. However, we still gave priority to human practice and successfully forged a bond with space researchers, distinguished biologists, and specialists in Environmental Ethics.

To get a comprehensive and clear idea of the potential implementation, experimental design, and safety concerns of our project, we mapped out three main lines in our HP work:

1. Determining the Value: In this part, we aimed to determine the current challenges and possibilities in space exploration. Through communication with professors in astrobiology, leading biologists in space exploration, and senior instructors in entrepreneurship, we got a more detailed idea of the innovation, environmental, and commercial values of our project.

2. Implementing the Project: To put our idea into practice, we turned to experts in soil ecosystems, specialists in microbe, and previous iGEM teams to seek professional suggestions for our experimental design. With their assistance, we developed four interdependent systems: symbiotic, biofilm formation, survival, and terraforming systems in our engineering bacteria (see more details in Description).

3. Managing the Risk: For further development of our project, we carefully considered the potential risks that would threaten the interests of all mankind. Drawing on the expertise of specialists in biological ethics, we were fully aware of our duty to balance space exploration and environmental ethics. We also searched for a reliable method to address the safety issues.

This year, all of our HP work follows the STAR loop.

The HP loop

Determining the Value

Prof. Yan Li: The Possibilities and Challenges for Life on Mars

📅 Date: Jul. 15th
👤 Participants: Zhe Dong, Xiaohan Jiang, Chenye Li, Qingying Yang

Stimulation

In the early stage, we attempted to build a symbiotic system that resembles lichens with cyanobacteria and E. coli. We assumed that this system enables engineered E. coli to survive on the surface of terrestrial planets and promote terraforming progress through its metabolites.

We wondered that:

1. Is there enough essential substance for life to survive existing on terrestrial planets?

2. What's the characteristic of the environment on the surface of terrestrial planets?

3. Is there any possibility of lighting the dawn of life on terrestrial planets?

Target

Prof. Li (opens new window) is an associate professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, China. In the past ten years, she has done excellent work about the origin of life catalyzed by natural sulfide minerals and the interaction between microorganisms and minerals. She has been interested in the process of matter and energy cycling catalyzed by minerals on the surface of early Earth and Mars.

Prof. Yan Li

Action

On account of distance and time, we interviewed Prof. Li online on July 15th. She described our project as an interesting and daring innovation in the academic field and was generous with professional advice. In response to our questions, she recommended Mars as the terrestrial planet with a high probability of life. In her opinion:

1. Though nitrogen accounts for only 0.1% of the Martian atmosphere, it is enough to build a complete nitrogen cycle essential for life.
2. The water, mainly existing in the crystalline form on the surface of Mars, lays the foundation for the existence of life.
3. So far, the soil of the moon which is far more infertile than Martian soil has proved to be capable of supporting life. A symbiotic system to promote the terraforming of Mars is worth trying.
4. Research has shown a potential association of vigorous minerals with life activity in harsh environments like highlands and deserts on Earth. Similar minerals have been found on Mars, indicating another probable condition for life.

Besides, Prof. Li pointed out the challenges for life to survive on the surface of Mars. For example, the environment, with huge temperature differences, intense radiation, and frequent storms, makes it extremely difficult to keep enough nutrients. The water in crystalline form can hardly be directly absorbed and used by creatures. The lack of phosphorus will also be a key limiting factor for life.

Finally, Prof. Li reminds us of the heterogeneity of the Martian surface environment and the process of biological weathering on Earth. She encouraged us to imagine more possibilities and was glad to have further communication with us.

Review

With the insights of Prof. Li, we took Mars as the representative of the terrestrial planet and involved an anti-UV module and an anti-freeze module in our engineered bacteria. Besides, we found that organic acids played an important role in Earth's biological weathering processes^[1][2][3]. Collaborating with CAU-China, we introduced an oxalic acid module to promote the terraforming progress of Mars.

Online interview with Prof. Li

Space Webinar: Synthetic Biology in Space

📅 Date: Jul. 27th
👤 Participants: All team members

Stimulation

Although Prof. Li spoke highly of our project, we remain concerned about the significance and acceptability of modifying the environment of terrestrial planets with biological techniques.

We wondered that:

1. Are there any successful examples of applying biological techniques to space exploration?
2. How will mankind on Earth benefit from our project in the short term?

Target

The iGEM Technology (opens new window) hosted a space webinar entitled Synthetic Biology in Space: Achievements and Possibilities. In collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), leading experts were invited to discuss the fascinating intersection of synthetic biology and space exploration and to elaborate on the challenges they had faced.

Action

On July 27th, our team members participated in the webinar and benefited a lot. Reviewing previous iGEM projects related to space, both Dr. Christiane Hahn and Dr. Rodrigo Coutinho de Almeida spoke highly of the symbiotic system consisting of yeast and cyanobacteria. Elaborating on the challenges, Dr. Christiane considered the survival of cells in the harsh environment of space as the first issue. As she mentioned, the ability to resist cold, radiation, and drought matters for biological samples to survive in space. Meanwhile, she reminded us that the achievements of space research might be applied to address problems on Earth.

Review

In the Q & A section, we shared our idea of developing a survival module in our engineering bacteria with multiple BioBricks with the experts. Prof. Daniela Billi found our idea very innovative and worth trying. This encouraged us a lot! Besides, inspired by Dr. Christiane, we found our project is environmentally beneficial. The symbiotic system we created would potentially help rebuild a delicate ecosystem on the barren lands of Earth, such as the Sahara Desert (opens new window).

The space webinar(left) and our team member was commcating with the experts(right)

Dr. Jingwei Zhang: A Unique View in the Industry of Synthetic Biology

📅 Date: Sep. 20th
👤 Participants: Zhe Dong, Zhenmao Ye, Siliang Zhan

Stimulation

Although our project has a great prospect, fulfilling our plan will cost huge amounts of time and money. For the sustainable development of our project, it's necessary to gain support from the synthetic biology industry.

We wondered that:

1. How to promote the rapid development of the industry of synthetic biology?
2. Are there any commercial values related to our project？

Target

Dr. Zhang (opens new window) is now a young researcher at the School of Life Sciences, Fudan University. He is mainly engaged in the development and industrialization of droplet microfluidic systems. As a senior instructor in entrepreneurship, Dr. Zhang always offers his students extensive and innovative insights into the development of the biological industry.

Dr. Jingwei Zhang

Action

We had lunch with Dr. Zhang and shared our opinions on the industry of synthetic biology. Dr. Zhang pointed out that the subjective agency of living creatures could potentiaDlly join hands with synthetic biology techniques. He believed that the combination of artificial BioBricks and the well-evolved genetic system of our chassis would further unleash the potential of synthetic biology. From this perspective, there remains full potential to improve efficiency and reduce the cost in the development of the synthetic biology industry.

In terms of our project, Dr. Zhang believed that its environmental benefits could bring about commercial values, just like the invention of new energy cars. What really matters is to find a suitable application so that the reward can overcome the cost.

Having lunch with Dr. Jingwei Zhang and his students

Review

With the innovative insight of Dr. Jingwei Zhang, we explored the commercial value of our projects in multiple fields, such as agriculture, energy, and the cosmetic industry (see more details in Implementation). Besides, Dr. Zhang was quite interested in our project and kept up with our progress. Later, we had a follow-up discussion with him about the safety concerns (see more details in Safety).

Implementing the Project

Prof. Changming Fang: How to Build a Good Symbiotic System

📅 Date: Jun. 1st
👤 Participants: Zhe Dong, Zhenmao Ye

Simulation

This year, we decided to build a symbiotic system that resembles lichen with cyanobacteria and E. coli. However, our team members have little idea of lichen and no experience in building a symbiotic system.

We wondered that:

1. What's the function of bacteria and fungus in the symbiotic system of lichen?

2. How does lichen survive harsh environmental conditions like drought on Earth?

3. How can we adjust the radio of cyanobacteria and E. coli in the system?

Target

Prof. Fang (opens new window) is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, China. He has long been engaged in research on soil carbon and nitrogen cycles and their regulatory mechanisms, the impact of global climate change on soil ecosystem processes, and soil ecological models.

Prof. Changming Fang

Action

We had a pleasant conversation with him about our symbiotic system design. Prof. Fang made a detailed explanation of the composition of lichen. Algae mainly provide energy and essential substances like saccharides through photosynthesis while fungi provide the necessary ions for algae. Besides, fungi can maintain the physical structure of lichen by secreting polysaccharides. The physical structure is quite necessary for lichens, which equips them with a strong ability to absorb and keep water. With this ability, lichens can form sheet-like structures to keep water under dry conditions and quickly rejuvenate when adequate water is available.

Considering our experimental design, Prof. Fang pointed out huge challenges in engineering the symbiotic system of lichens. Since the structural paradigm of lichens has undergone a long evolutionary process, the delicate composition remains unknown to humans in many aspects. He recommended we build a physical structure to make our symbiotic system more tolerant of the environment. He also reminded us of the association between physiological characteristics and the environment.

Review

With the professional suggestions of Prof. Fang, we introduced a cell-cell adhesion Module into our symbiotic system. This module could construct a biofilm with a programmable physical structure through antigen-nanobody interaction. The biofilm would contribute to our symbiotic system's survival on the Martian surface. See more details in Description.

Our team members with Prof. Fang

Prof. Zhexue Quan: How to Make E. coli Resistant to the Harsh Environment

📅 Date: Jun. 4th
👤 Participants: Zhe Dong, Zhenmao Ye, Siliang Zhan

Simulation

Considering the harsh environment on the surface of terrestrial planets, we need to genetically engineer E. coli so that our symbiotic system can survive for a long time.

We wondered that:

1. How do some special microbes survive the extreme environment?
2. How can we test the survival ability of our engineered E. coli?

Target

Prof. Quan (opens new window) is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, China. He has long been engaged in research on the physiological and biochemical characteristics of comammox and its role in the ecosystem. As a lecturer in microbiology, he has extensive knowledge of microbes under extreme conditions.

Prof. Zhexue Quan

Action

During the interview, Prof. Quan mentioned many microbes adapting to extreme living conditions, which greatly inspired us. He suggested we pay attention to the microbes that survive harsh environments on Earth. For example, the rhodospirillaceaes, as a kind of anaerobic photosynthetic bacteria, can produce energy and saccharides through photosynthesis but not rely on oxygen to survive, which is more suitable for the hypoxic environment in space.

For the experiment design, Prof. Quan suggested we adjust the experimental environment to imitate the harsh environment in space. The controllable environment is more suitable for the preliminary verification of our concept. For example, we can subject E. coli to freeze-drying treatment through Speedvac for several hours to simulate the drought on Mars.

Review With the idea of Prof. Quan, we focused on Tardigrada (opens new window), the most mysterious creature on Earth that could survive in space. A recent bioRxiv article (opens new window) found a special protein named mtSSB. The mtSSB protein has proved to be closely associated with resistance to radiation, drought^[4], and freeze. We built a BioBrick BBa_K4765016 (opens new window) for our survival system.

Our team members with Prof. Quan

Managing the Risk

The Environmental Ethics: Safety and Moral Concerns

📅 Date: Sep. 12th
👤 Participants: Qingying Yang, Yijun Wang

Stimulation

This year, we attempted to create a biofilm that could survive in space and modify the environment of terrestrial planets. For the interests of all mankind, we must take any potential risk to the outer space environment seriously. We wondered that:

1. Would our attempt to modify the Martial environment result in irreversible damage to its ecosystem?
2. Considering that our biofilm undergoes the progress of natural evolution to adapt to the Martian environment, would our engineering bacteria prove to be a threat to mankind in the future?
3. How to deal with the safety and ethical concerns of our project?

Target

Graduating from the University of Glasgow, UK, Dr. Yunjie Zhang is now a postdoctoral student in Environmental Ethics at the School of Philosophy, Fudan University. Studying abroad for years, she has gained a unique insight into the environmental ethics related to human behaviors.

Action

Dr. Zhang pointed out that scholars in environmental ethics put an emphasis on the concept of "wilderness", which is often understood as untouched and pristine natural environments. Philosopher William Godfrey-Smith once argued that wilderness holds multiple values for humanity. Even if humans never set foot in or utilize wilderness areas, these untouched landscapes should still be considered part of the "moral community" of humans. Protecting wilderness primarily involves preventing long-term human presence.

In her opinion, If we consider Mars as a "wilderness", then substantial human intervention on Mars clearly goes against the concept of "preserving wilderness". It is essential to gain a deeper insight into the Martian ecological environment before judging the extent and nature of intervention that can be considered non-destructive to the "Martian wilderness."

Review

Dr. Yunjie Zhang reminded us of our duty to deal with the environmental ethics issue of our project. However, she didn't offer us any suggestions in scientific ethics and biosafety since she had little understanding of biological science. She recommended we ask experts in biological philosophy for further guidance.

Dr. Yunjie Zhang

Re-Target

With the suggestions of Dr. Yunjie Zhang, we turned to Dr. Mingjun Zhang (opens new window) for professional suggestions on the safety and moral concerns of our project. Graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, America, Dr. Mingjun Zhang is an expert in biological philosophy and environmental ethics, and is working on evolutionary game theory.

Dr. Mingjun Zhang

Re-Action

Dr. Mingjun Zhang considered our project as a relatively positive action for the benefit of all mankind. He argued that it was our duty to explore and understand the planet we want to transform as much as possible. Although there is little chance of life existing on Mars, our team should be responsible for the entire universe as well as human civilization.

The proof of concept, in his opinion, is the first issue for our project. "Currently, the risk is controllable so that it wouldn't cause substantial harm to the Earth, which is in line with the research norms of synthetic biology. For further development, addressing safety concerns, like developing a "Suicide Switch" is indispensable to limit the threat of engineered bacteria undergo unexpected evolution. However, if the biofilm is ready to be put into practice, the decision must be made by the entire world, because Mars doesn't belong to any individual, team, or nation on Earth."

Re-Review

The intersection of synthetic biology and bioethics certainly offered us a new horizon for our project. We were fully aware of our duty and were ready to seek solutions to the safety concerns. Although it proves to be impossible and unnecessary to bear all responsibilities or solve all problems, we will do our part and take a further step to fight for the interest of all mankind.

Our team members with Dr. Mingjun Zhang

Reference

1. Brunner, I., Plötze, M., Rieder, S., Zumsteg, A., Furrer, G., & Frey, B. (2011). Pioneering fungi from the Damma glacier forefield in the Swiss Alps can promote granite weathering: Pioneering fungi. Geobiology, 9(3), 266–279. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4669.2011.00274.x ↩︎

2. Cama, J., & Ganor, J. (2006). The effects of organic acids on the dissolution of silicate minerals: A case study of oxalate catalysis of kaolinite dissolution. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 70(9), 2191–2209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2006.01.028 ↩︎

3. Chen, J., Blume, H.-P., & Beyer, L. (2000). Weathering of rocks induced by lichen colonization—A review. CATENA, 39(2), 121–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(99)00085-5 ↩︎

4. Hibshman, J. D., Clark-Hachtel, C. M., Bloom, K. S., & Goldstein, B. (2023). A bacterial expression cloning screen reveals tardigrade single-stranded DNA-binding proteins as potent desicco-protectants (2023.08.21.554171). bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.08.21.554171 ↩︎