--- title: "Scientists Suggest Harvesting Blood From Mars Colonists to Construct Future City" description: "Mixing Martian regolith with the literal blood, sweat, and tears of future Mars inhabitants could make for a great concrete for a habitat." date: "2024-12-21" modified: "2024-12-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/harvesting-blood-mars-colonists-construct" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "concrete" - "mars cities" - "mars habitats" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Suggest Harvesting Blood From Mars Colonists to Construct Future City ![Mixing Martian regolith with the literal blood, sweat, and tears of future Mars inhabitants could make for a great concrete for a habitat.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Blood Drive Future space travelers will have to get creative to build structures on the surface of Mars. Sending all the necessary construction materials across over 140 million miles of space wouldn't just be a gargantuan undertaking, but it would be prohibitively expensive as well. Instead, scientists have long proposed making use of the existing Martian soil to construct permanent structures. In a [paper]() accepted for publication in the journal *Acta Astronautica*, a team of researchers from Kharazmi University in Tehran, Iran, investigated eleven different types of Martian concrete or cement "based on available resources and technologies." And one of them stands out, to say the least: AstroCrete, a previously proposed substrate made from Martian regolith mixed with the bodily fluids — the literal blood, sweat, and tears **—** of future Mars inhabitants. ## Construction IV The idea of using blood to reinforce mortar dates back to the ancient Romans. "Although it is a bit strange, blood can be utilized to create strong concrete or bricks for onsite construction on Mars," the researchers wrote in the paper. "After the arrival of the first Martian inhabitants and their placement in primary structures, which can include inflatable structures, the combination of tears, blood, and sweat from the inhabitants, along with Martian regolith, can be used to produce a concrete known as AstroCrete." The unusual material was [first proposed]() by researchers at the University of Manchester in 2021. "Scientists have been trying to develop viable technologies to produce concrete-like materials on the surface of Mars, but we never stopped to think that the answer might be inside us all along," said Aled Roberts, from the University of Manchester, in a [statement]() at the time. A special protein in human blood called human serum albumin (HAS) serves as a "vivo binder" to create a form of concrete. Meanwhile, urea, a nitrogenous product extracted from urine, could make the material even stronger. According to the Iranian team of scientists, a single crew member could produce sufficient HAS to "construct a small habitat for another crew member" in just 72 weeks. Best of all, the University of Manchester scientists claim that AstroCrete could be 3D printed in place, making construction even simpler. Apart from relying on the blood, sweat, and tears of astronauts, the Iranian scientists also proposed combing the Martian landscape for calcium carbonate to create a lime mortar. Alternatively, the abundant sulfur deposits on the planet's surface could also be used to craft "sulfur concrete," a corrosion-resistant material that "can be used in salty and acid environments." **More on AstroCrete:** *[Scientists Suggest Mixing "Astronaut Blood" With Mars Dust to Create Horrific Shelters]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()