‘Living bricks’ that can reproduce could cut construction’s carbon footprint
Bacterial biomineralisation harnessed to create building material from sand
A simple combination of sand, gelatin and bacteria has produced living bricks that match the strength of cement-based mortar and could one day reduce the demand for the world’s carbon intensive, construction material of choice, cement. These living bricks can even reproduce – if a brick is cut in half then within a couple of days there are two more complete bricks.