116. Cell Yeah for Space!: Pioneer Labs' Erika DeBenedictis on Engineering Life for Mars

Feb 14, 2025

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Erum and Karl get into the nitty-gritty of evolution, automation, and space microbes with Erika DeBenedictis—CEO of Pioneer Labs, a computational physicist, molecular biologist, and all-around biotech explorer. They chat about her wild career path from JPL and Sandia National Laboratories to engineering microbes for Mars and running an academic lab dedicated to Robotics-Accelerated Evolution (yes, that’s as cool as it sounds). You can expect to hear all about AI-driven protein design, the future of fully automated science, and why programmable experiments might just be the next CRISPR. Plus, a little existential musing on whether life on Earth is just beta-testing for the universe.

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 – Introduction and Super Bowl: A Low-Gravity Celebration
00:00:46 – Crypto and Microbiomes: Decentralized Finance Meets Decentralized Lifeforms
00:02:12 – Earth Species Project: Talking to Whales, But Not on Zoom
00:03:57 – Telepathy Tapes: The WiFi of the Animal Kingdom
00:06:31 – Extremophiles and Biofilms: Nature’s Original Space Settlers
00:08:36 – Interview with Erika DeBenedictis: Evolution at Hyperspeed
00:08:58 – Life on Mars: Not Just a Sci-Fi Reboot
00:12:54 – Mars Habitat and Biomanufacturing: Home is Where the Microbes Are
00:24:47 – Pioneer Labs and Microbial Engineering: Engineering the Ultimate Space Hitchhikers
00:30:49 – Bioplastics vs. Bricks on Mars: Why Not Just 3D Print a House?
00:32:19 – Collaborations and Open Science: Because Space Isn’t a Solo Mission
00:35:00 – Mars Dirt Analysis: Not Your Average Potting Soil
00:45:23 – Potential of Ice Moons: Where the Coolest Science Happens
00:47:39 – Venus and Other Planetary Bodies: Finding Real Estate Beyond Earth
00:49:00 – The Future of Space Exploration: From Camping Trips to Colonies
00:51:54 – Concluding Thoughts and Farewell: The Final Countdown (For Now)

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

Mars, soil microbes, space biotech, genetic engineering, biotech, bioeconomy, research and development

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Email: groweverything@messaginglab.com

Music by: Nihilore

Production by: Amplafy Media