Team:Leiden
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Abstract
Almost 47 years ago, Neil Armstrong spoke his famous words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. The first man on the moon is a fact. Nowadays, scientist around the world are trying to put the first man on Mars. However, before this is even possible, an important obstacle need to be overcome. Namely; 0,5-1% of all mars soil contains the, for humans, very toxic perchlorate (ClO4). This perchlorate is toxic for humans because it disrupts iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate our overall metabolism and are crucial for organ development in children. This would mean that, once humans are able to go to Mars, it isn’t even possible to survive there. Luckily, we have found a solution. Like the beginning of live on earth, bacteria can possibly be the beginning of live on Mars. Using an E.coli bacterium, we will engineer a bacterium that is capable of turning perchlorate in non- toxic chloride ions and oxygen. This way we not only eliminate the toxic perchlorate, but also produce oxygen, which is fundamental for human life. We will also present the effects of Martian gravitation on (known) genes using the same E. coli bacterium Possibly, the small step made with these bacteria, can be a great leap for mankind.
Contact information
We would love to get in touch with you! You can direct any questions that you may have to igem@science.leidenuniv.nl
