With the help of 3D bioprinters, scientists have created a robust and completely biodegradable living material suitable for various applications in the energy, medicine, and fashion sectors. Living materials – composed of biological cells encapsulated within a non-living matrix – had been previously crafted, but their scaffolds were too fragile for real-life purposes. That’s now changed. An international team of researchers from the University of Rochester, UK, and Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, have used the tough and inert cellulose produced by the fermentation of certain bacteria as a substrate onto which they have printed living microalgae. The result? A strong, self-standing material that can resist physical distortion and regenerate. Microalgae can indeed support their own growth using photosynthesis.  An achievable millimetre-scale control over the bioprints’ shape, height, and width allows researchers to envision numerous applications for this living material. Examples include artificial leaves – structures that, similarly to actual leaves, turn sunlight into energy – and photosynthetic skin grafts. “The oxygen generated [by the photosynthesis] would help to kick-start healing of the damaged area,” …