Algae, considered as a biological substance, refers collectively to the biomass or biogenic material derived from photosynthetic, typically aquatic, non-vascular organisms encompassing microalgae (e.g., chlorophytes, diatoms, cyanobacteria in some usages) and macroalgae (seaweeds). This substance is characterized by high concentrations of pigments (such as chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phycobiliproteins), variable macromolecular composition (proteins, polysaccharides, lipids), and often substantial contents of structural or storage polysaccharides (e.g., starch, alginates, carrageenans). Algal biomass is studied as a feedstock for biorefinery applications, including biofuels, bioplastics, nutraceuticals, and as a source of specialized metabolites with defined biochemical and physicochemical properties.
It is a dietary staple found in sushi, rice wraps and ramen toppings. Commonly known as nori in Japan and gim in Korea, red seaweed is especially popular across Asia. Yet, despite its widespread consumption, many of its nutritional ...
Biotechnology
Oct 20, 2026
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13
The Cambrian explosion was a major diversification of animal life that unfolded early in the Cambrian period, which began around 538.8 million years ago. During this interval, marine animals became much more varied, building ...
For the first time, scientists have observed bleached corals on the brink of death fully recover through brief contact with healthy clones. Ghostly white corals returned to full health in a laboratory setting within seven ...
Ecology
Oct 18, 2026
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1160
When corals are stressed by pollution, high water temperatures or other environmental changes, they can lose the microscopic algae living inside them and on which they depend for food. As a result, they turn white, a phenomenon ...
The world's coral reefs face an existential threat from rising seawater temperatures that trigger widespread bleaching, a problem driven by climate change and compounded by this year's intense El Niño phenomenon.
Ecology
Oct 14, 2026
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84
A rare assemblage of micro- and macro-fossils found in a roadside outcrop in South China, featuring thin ribbons, branching shapes and a tiny balloon on a stalk, offers a glimpse of marine life after one of Earth's most extreme ...
Tiny single-celled organisms help keep lakes clear, but some can also contaminate the water. An international research team has analyzed DNA data from 362 lakes to create the first global genome atlas of these organisms. ...
Ecology
Oct 7, 2026
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17
Microalgae (microscopic organisms that use light and carbon dioxide to grow) can be used to make ingredients and food for animals, pigments and potentially renewable fuels. But growing microalgae efficiently at an industrial ...
Biotechnology
Oct 6, 2026
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8
High sea temperatures driven by the climate crisis damage corals, bleaching them ghostly white and killing them. While restoration of dead reefs is possible, it's difficult and expensive, and restored corals are vulnerable ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 2, 2026
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99
A single-celled green alga from the sand dunes of the Negev Desert has, within just a few years, become a key model organism in modern photosynthesis research. Chlorella ohadii helps researchers better understand plants' ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 1, 2026
0
14
