187. One Small Step for a Microbe: Lynn Rothschild’s Leap from Astrobiology to Bioengineering at NASA

What does it actually take to keep humans alive on Mars? Not the SpaceX version — the biology version. Dr. Lynn Rothschild, research scientist at NASA Ames and adjunct professor at Brown and Stanford, has spent decades at the intersection of astrobiology and synthetic biology, and her answer is both elegant and radical: life itself is the technology. On this episode, Karl and Erum sit down with one of the scientists who helped build NASA's synthetic biology program to talk about on-demand drug manufacturing in space, growing habitats out of fungal mycelium, engineering bacteria to pull specific metals from e-waste, and the audacious "Hell Cell" project that aims to stack every survival superpower nature has ever evolved into a single organism. If you've ever wondered what it looks like when evolutionary biology meets aerospace engineering meets materials science — with a healthy dose of iGEM undergrads and Tetris metaphors — this one's for you. Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing? Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Chapters: (00:00:00) - NYC energy, the Knicks parade, and when does biotech get its ticker tape? (00:04:00) - Peptides: biohacking goes mainstream, and why the back alley of your gym is not a pharmacy (00:10:00) - Bemotrizinol: the first new active sunscreen ingredient cleared in the US in over 20 years (00:14:30) - Listener shoutouts and a night with sci-fi legend Kim Stanley Robinson at Pioneer Works (00:22:30) - SpaceX goes public at a $2.5 trillion valuation — what the space economy actually means (00:26:00) - Why biology — not steel or solar — is the only real answer to the upmass problem (00:35:00) - Lynn's origin story: from studying extremophiles to being told to engineer them for NASA (00:42:00) - The astro pharmacy: programming bacteria to brew medicine on demand during a six-month Mars transit (00:51:00) - The Hell Cell, AI in the lab, and Lynn's Tetris approach to building multi-disciplinary teams (01:04:00) - Gravity, radiation, the 2030s Mars timeline, and what from Lynn's lab shows up in your house first Links and Resources: Lynn Rothschild NASA interview with Lynn Rothschild Nature's Hardware Store - Lynn on Building the Future with Biology The Peptide Gold Rush Bemotrizinol - new FDA approved sunscreen ingredient 185. Brick Happens: Chris Maurer of Redhouse Studio Redesigns Remote Living for Earth and Mars 93. Houston, We Have a Protocol: NASA's Kate Rubins on Biotech in Space 116. Cell Yeah for Space!: Pioneer Labs' Erika DeBenedictis on Engineering Life for Mars 156. When Matter Makes Decisions: Michael Levin on the Intelligence of Form 111. Space Genes and Subway Scenes: Chris Mason on Planning Life’s Next Big Leap BioInnovations Events - For 25% off use code: Grow Everything Topics Covered: Synthetic biology in space, astrobiology, space biomanufacturing, Mars missions, biomining, on-demand pharmaceuticals, extremophiles, mycelium architecture, space sustainability, lunar infrastructure Have a question or comment? Message us here: Text or Call (804) 505-5553 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grow Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music by: Nihilore Production by: Amplafy Media