From stone, to copper, then bronze, iron, steel, concrete, plastics and now silicon, human technological progress has always been underpinned by advancements in materials science.In this talk, Aled explains how investigating the enormous challenges associated with colonising the Moon and Mars led him on an accidental journey to discover how innovations in material science could have a huge impact here on Earth involving any house or building around the world. Aled Roberts is a scientist who specialises at the interface of Materials Science and Biology. Constrained by the COVID-19 lockdown, Aled set up his own basement laboratory to pursue his experiments. Here, he developed several unorthodox solutions to the challenge of Lunar and Martian construction by exploiting human biology, before translating his insights to solve practical challenges on Earth relating to sustainable construction.Previously a researcher at the University of Manchester and the Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub, Aled recently setup Deakin Bio as a startup company to develop the commercial potential of his bioengineering research. He earned his PhD in Materials Chemistry from Liverpool University. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx