3D Printing with Bacteria-Loaded Ink Produces Bone-Like Composites

Researchers have pioneered a 3D printable ink that contains Sporosarcina pasteurii: a bacterium that, when exposed to a urea-containing solution, triggers a mineralization process that produces calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The ink — dubbed BactoInk — can be used to 3D print virtually any shape, which will then gradually mineralize over the course of a few days.