Walk along the beach, near the water’s edge, and one will likely find a seashell. In the hard, resilient structure of what once was a living organism’s exoskeleton, one might see beauty.
Xijun “Jeff” Shi and his research team see the future of building construction on the moon and Mars.
Several lifeforms are able to produce minerals including shellfish such as oysters, coral and bacteria. "While bacteria mineral production has been associated with mineral buildup in pipes (pipe scales), the research is intended to provide a positive benefit from this biomineralization process," said Robert McLean, a co-advisor on the project and TSUS Regents Professor of Biology.
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