The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is preparing genetically modified organisms to terraform Mars - turning it into a more habitable and Earth-like planet. Reported by CBS.
DARPA plans to heat up and make the atmosphere of Mars more saturated. To do this, the planet is going to plant and grow photosynthetic plants, bacteria and algae. In addition, in order not to keep future colonists locked up in bases, the climate and landscape of Mars also needs to be seriously transformed.
Photo: Daein Ballard / Wikimedia Commons
To accelerate this process, DARPA is creating tools for the genetic modification of various organisms (not just brewer's yeast and Escherichia coli, which are used in synthetic biology).
“I want to take any organism that has the properties I want - and immediately see where and what I can find,” said Elisha Jackson (Alicia Jackson), deputy head of the new department of biological technologies DARPA.
The agency has already developed the DTA GView program, which Jackson dubbed "Google Maps of Genomes." By selecting any organism listed in this database, scientists can immediately get a list of known genes and the places where they are located in the genome.
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DARPA wants to find and select the best genes of any organism, and then insert them into other life forms. First, such experiments will be carried out with bacteria and other microorganisms, and then with multicellular organisms.
DARPA plans to use the obtained organisms to populate areas affected by natural or man-made disasters. By multiplying under extreme conditions and practicing photosynthesis, the new organisms will restore the destroyed landscape, Jackson said. The successful experience of such a reconstruction will allow in the future to start terraforming Mars.