Algae: The Super Substance That Could Change The Future — SLICE SCIENCE — FULL DOC

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: that's how we know them algae that pollute our waters but what do they hide beneath their surface unexpected and miraculous powers for a world without [00:00:18] Speaker 2: plastic it's 100% degradable when we put it in water it dissolves without any negative impact on the environment for a world where we can breathe the air in our cities again in a column like this the oxygen output is equivalent to that of a few dozen trees for a world where the blind see again we achieve a result [00:00:54] Speaker 3: that comes as close as possible to natural vision are they the nutrient from [00:01:00] Speaker 1: our dreams of the future that's good algae researchers around the world are trying to decipher their secrets the Faroe Islands an archipelago in the North Atlantic it's mid-June 10 degrees and the water temperature is a little lower the faroe Islands an archipelago in the North Atlantic it's mid-June 10 degrees and the water temperature is a little lower the biologist Agnes moles Mortensen is on her way with a team to one of the large salmon farms in the region [00:01:49] Speaker 4: the region we're going to take water samples because we're looking at the nutrient content in the water and we want to take from two meters depth and 10 meters depth [00:01:59] Speaker 1: together with colleagues from the state research company fish carling the biologist is working on a unique project algae should help to improve the breeding conditions of salmon their idea to create a near-natural habitat in the aquacultures that makes the use of chemicals and medicines in salmon farming superfluous in spring she spread brown algae in the water normally they grow particularly well in clear and cold fjord water whether they also thrive in the fish cage must first be proven [00:02:57] Speaker 4: this is one of the test ropes that we will keep in here away from the fish you have similar ropes that are going so all the green ropes you see here in the in the cage they will be transferred to the cages a bit later to be used as shelters this will function as a test rope that we will measure once a month for a period of time Agnes controls the growth and fertility of the brown algae although they look very similar two species have grown on the rope [00:03:20] Speaker 1: she planted the one the second has settled by itself the fish farmers are already convinced that the algae have only advantages for us at hidden fjord it's it's these guys that are the main reasons these are lumpfish [00:03:38] Speaker 5: these are wild young ones that live in the seaweed that we farm but we use these lumpfish together with our salmon because they eat the sea lice of the salmon so it's a natural way of taking the sea lice away so instead of using chemicals or others we use these guys [00:04:13] Speaker 1: the habitat of the lumpfish is algae the algae themselves need hardly any nutrients they are plant like creatures that occur mainly in the sea they thrive through photosynthesis they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen with the aid of sunlight a unique process that began three and a half billion years ago [00:04:39] Speaker 4: algae as a group have been a part of creating this world as it is today the humans have evolved because we have the right composition of gases so we can actually live these are primary producers they can do their thing without us interfering without us feeding them and it's very important for our fisheries that we have these forests because they are nursing grounds for our fisheries stocks and if we want to use them as a resource in large amounts we have to culture them [00:05:22] Speaker 1: is it possible to produce algae on land a large bioreactor is operated in otto brun near munich at the so-called algae pilot plant of the technical university professor thomas brook cultivates nanochloropsis salina a microalgae that also occurs in the sea bavarian pretzel salt provides sea water in the plant the sunlight is imitated by modern led technology every climate zone in the world can be simulated here [00:06:03] Speaker 2: mostly almeria spain runs here that has the background that the domestic ones do not grow naturally in bavaria very well in spain they grow much better we could produce there all year round and in order to produce technically relevant data you have to be able to simulate this climate and that's feasible here so far unique in the world [00:06:25] Speaker 1: the secret of the green seaweed is its high oil content can it replace our oil in the future can it replace our oil in the future the scientist regularly monitors its optimal growth conditions [00:06:42] Speaker 2: this culture looks quite good continues to grow actively and so we leave it alone for a few more days before we harvest and stress it [00:06:57] Speaker 1: stress means depriving the algae of nutrients so that they can stop growing only when it no longer grows does it produce enough oil is this where the fuel of our future flows [00:07:12] Speaker 2: the fact is that you have to have the interest of the industry which then really has to spend some money we are talking about tens of millions of euros in order to set up the large plant I believe of course that this pressure to implement climate relevant technologies will increase in the coming years so much so that we have no other option yes we know what the climate report says if we wait any longer we will be at the point where the climate tips over and then we can't do anything anymore [00:07:47] Speaker 1: becoming independent of oil this idea inspired the algae researcher to another ground-breaking invention a carbon fiber made of algae more stable and lighter than anything made of steel and aluminium the plate [00:08:06] Speaker 2: the plate consists of carbon fiber stone composite and is therefore completely co2 negative in production and because we use carbon fiber brick we also need less material as you can see below you can see a small granite plate up here the net plate up here underneath it is our carbon fiber in between we have a limestone this step plate is as stable as steel it's also flexible because the initial tension is created by the carbon fiber we also have a certain elasticity in this material so it can completely replace the steel and we also called this device minus E which then stands for negative emissions in production and operation [00:08:52] Speaker 6: and operation [00:08:59] Speaker 1: algae oil itself could revolutionize the building materials industry with carbon fibers made from algae but the process of obtaining the coveted raw material is still too energy intensive and too expensive [00:09:09] Speaker 2: we have now managed to break up the algae using enzyme based technology and we are at the point where we can say we produce enough oils anyway around 60% where we have spontaneous phase separation this means that once the cell is open we carry out a short centrifugation step and then we can separate the phases by gravity this is much more energy efficient in the processing and the subsequent conversion to a fuel which was already efficient five years ago and whether I make diesel for cars or kerosene for airplanes it doesn't matter anymore at the moment [00:10:01] Speaker 1: the dream of flying with algae gasoline has long since come true but the extraction of algae oil remains expensive the researchers are continuing to work on new processes so that it can really replace oil as well The Hubertus teich in curtain in the former brown coal area of bitter felt here too scientists are looking for a substitute for fossil fuels but they're going about it completely differently as in many lakes a film of algae regularly lies on the water surface in summer blue algae which released toxins in high concentrations and prohibit bathing but the researchers are happy about the algae bloom in the lake at Anhalt university one of the largest algae research centers in germany professor carola grill and her team are looking for the super algae it would be nice if you could have a look [00:11:07] Speaker 3: it would be nice if you could have a look [00:11:11] Speaker 2: yes that's a good algal bloom [00:11:13] Speaker 3: we now try to isolate the sample from the lake here in the algae stem collection in the lake it comes in a mixture from different algae and we now try to separate algae here so that they are ready for technical production [00:11:28] Speaker 1: her research interest is in the special ingredients of microalgae ingredients such as proteins omega-3 fatty acids and dyes are in great demand in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries but algae technology is a young science not all the ingredients and properties of algae are yet known scientists assume that there are between four and five hundred thousand different algae species with a wealth of colors and shapes that seem limitless approximately ten percent of algae have been recorded in the first place and only a few microalgae are used industrially maybe four to five on a large scale and each one contains different active substances depending on their occurrence and appearance the big advantage of algae is that they grow up to twenty times faster than land plants and produce up to thirty times more fat than rape for example the researchers are particularly interested in oil the algae can be cultivated optimally under laboratory conditions the only difficulty is the high energy and water consumption to reach the ingredients however the scientists in curtain have actually taken a decisive step forward in this direction they have discovered an alga that could revive the idea of biofuels a type of algae that discharges the oil itself so it just needs to be tapped [00:13:22] Speaker 3: we save various treatment processes and extract the oil continuously from the algae practically during growth this is what makes it special [00:13:34] Speaker 1: an algae filling station that may soon be working on a large scale [00:13:39] Speaker 3: we don't have many alternatives we must continue along this path at the moment this is not profitable but who knows what will happen in twenty years you have to break new ground here we have developed a suitable technical system to catch this oil the so-called milking extractor we have saved eighty percent of the costs compared to this classic method but that's not enough either we must make our algae even more productive but I'm very optimistic that we will be able to do that [00:14:18] Speaker 1: as a renewable raw material algae could become a real alternative to our fossil fuels a French environmental company has already taken advantage of algae's CO2 hunger here algae provide fresh air in the Paris suburb of Poissy there is a very special advertising pillar each year it can catch one ton of CO2 the capacity of an entire avenue of trees [00:14:58] Speaker 2: the performance in terms of CO2 uptake and oxygen production depends on the amount of CO2 present in the air for a column like this in an urban environment its oxygen capacity is equivalent to that of a few dozen trees in industry where we have high CO2 emissions we speak of an output of over a hundred trees it all depends on the concentration of CO2 that makes the system work [00:15:24] Speaker 7: the column sucks in the outside air and circulates it inside the air [00:15:28] Speaker 1: 10 kilos of microalgae are distributed over a thousand litres of water LEDs in particular still provide uniform lighting future developments will use much more natural light during the day [00:15:47] Speaker 2: and will only be illuminated with LEDs at night our goal is to operate the device 24 hours a day 365 days a year [00:16:05] Speaker 1: the column is still a model experiment in a Paris suburb but already now a real improvement in the air can be measured there is still plenty of good air to breathe in the Faroe Islands the biologist Agnes Moles Mortensen is on her way to her breeding station in this container is the nursery of her algae Agnes wears protective clothing because it's about future food she grows sugar kelp and wing kelp the superfood of the future for her Agnes has experimented for a long time with how the spores thrive best and how light and temperature are optimally controlled now she checks their growth every few days [00:16:58] Speaker 4: the plan is to deploy these on our farm on Kalbachsfuhrer in October and so I'm just you know maintaining just keeping them alive and healthy until then because of the photosynthesis you know there's a lot of oxygen production in here when the light is shining on them so you can see bubbles on on the seaweed ropes [00:17:30] Speaker 1: the algae grow on small ropes these are later wrapped around larger ropes and sunk into the sea Agnes' algae farm is located in a narrow bay in the south of the islands she hopes to increase its production soon but already this year it was difficult to get enough helpers to spread all the fertile spores in time it's the middle of June and the harvest season is almost over today Agnes wants to go out and harvest for the last time this year together with her brother and a helper [00:18:09] Speaker 4: like the ground on land [00:18:24] Speaker 1: the fields are also divided up and it's difficult to lease land at all the rules are strict only one user is allowed per bay if there had been a salmon farmer Agnes would not have got a license but algae and fish go well together [00:18:40] Speaker 8: together with her older brother [00:18:44] Speaker 1: Agnes founded a company in 2007 and called it Tari the Ferroese word for algae her plantation is only a few nautical miles from the jetty [00:19:00] Speaker 4: you can see it right here now so this is one of the ropes that's growing and we have these long units so if you have the red big buoys they are one quadrat we have another quadrat further out and then we have our seeded ropes in between that's how they are growing that's how they are growing it's not just about getting a huge size it's also about getting a good quality depending on what you want to use them for so in this case everything here goes to to food production so to people for people to eat so quality is the it's the most important part we learn new things every season and I think we have done all the mistakes that can be done so we're you know we're getting there [00:19:52] Speaker 1: because the small boat with which they normally catch the algae is damaged someone has to get into the water and that's eight degrees [00:20:02] Speaker 4: he's going to to you know because we have tied our growing ropes in between so he's going to you know loosen one at a time it's a nice place to be working because it's very close to land and so the operation is not so demanding we're testing our farm site for bacteria for example so we want to make sure that the food we sell is not infected with E. coli or bacteria of that kind that can be harmful for people to eat [00:20:43] Speaker 8: the algae must be removed from the water by mid-June at the latest [00:20:51] Speaker 1: the later it gets the more polluted they become colonized by bacteria but also by other organisms this does not make them unusable this does not make them unusable but then they no longer meet Agnes' high food quality standards take one of the bigger ones [00:21:06] Speaker 4: take one of the bigger ones it's good well it's salty and then it's a little bit maybe a little bit spicy yeah and then it also has a texture that you can chew [00:21:37] Speaker 1: the algae are rich in iodine magnesium calcium and proteins but are they also the answer to the big nutritional questions of the future Agnes wants to triple the harvest next year but there's still a shortage of staff and money but she rejects a big investor she wants to keep her independence and wait and see how strong the company can grow on its own microalgae are very adaptable they grow much faster than plants on land and especially fast when it's warm and they have a lot of nutrients at the disposal like here on the Brittany coast actually this green algae is non-toxic however if it is washed ashore and dies it produces toxic hydrogen sulfide but where does that come from? why is there such a big algae plague here? [00:22:40] Speaker 2: here in 2b we see the bay of loquirec where we are now and the bay of Saint Michel and one sees the peculiarity these are the coastal parts that surround the sea when it rises and when it retreats [00:23:05] Speaker 9: the rivers flush the nitrate into the sea that one here [00:23:17] Speaker 2: the two there so the algae benefit from nitrate in this closed natural environment where there is little water exchange the water here is clear and not very deep so that the algae can absorb the nitrate well because it's not distributed in the base and while they rot they produce hydrogen sulfide which is a very strong poison the high nitrate content in the water has been known for years [00:23:38] Speaker 9: due to the fertilizer used in agriculture the small farmers on the coast aren't the cause of the plague but above all the large farms in the interior of the country they could prevent the green floods [00:23:42] Speaker 2: collecting the washed up algae is highly dangerous in 2009 [00:23:47] Speaker 9: in 2009 in 2009 the soil is very rich the soil is very strong poison [00:23:51] Speaker 1: the high nitrate content in the water has been known for years due to the fertilizer used in agriculture the small farmers on the coast aren't the cause of the plague but above all the large farms in the interior of the country they could prevent the green floods collecting the washed up algae is highly dangerous in 2009 community worker Thierry Morfois had an accident while cleaning up the beach [00:24:23] Speaker 2: Thierry Morfois died in an accident at work poisoned by the green floods and I warn under the current conditions we cannot rule out that there will be more accidents even if we could collect them they would rot in estuaries like this it's impossible to collect everything [00:24:48] Speaker 1: Yves Marie Lele regularly inspects the coastal sections a biting smell of rotten eggs is in the air the toxic gas lurks directly under the thick dried white algae cover suddenly released it becomes a deadly danger to humans and animals again and again the environmentalist measures the concentration of the highly toxic hydrogen sulfide below 80 ppm [00:25:23] Speaker 7: if one stays here for a long time [00:25:27] Speaker 2: eye irritations and even stronger symptoms can occur up to unconsciousness this is the decay product of algae inside you can see how they are decomposing [00:25:39] Speaker 7: when you smell it you notice the difference [00:25:45] Speaker 2: it smells very strongly of rotten eggs [00:25:49] Speaker 1: 10,000 tons of algae were washed up on the Brittany coast in the summer of 2019 alone more than ever before [00:26:01] Speaker 2: you see here wonderful scenery and at the same time it's uncanny because everything is dead there are very few birds left then you've got the black one there which continuously emits this smell and the hydrogen sulfide which seeps away in the river and kills absolutely everything it's terrible for me because I know this landscape without the green floods without the massive destruction of biodiversity it should be full of birds here [00:26:34] Speaker 1: the abundance of algae on the coast of Brittany gave entrepreneurs in San Malo a new idea they decided to use the seemingly unlimited raw material algae sensibly and developed a product that replaces conventional plastic and is biodegradable at the same time algae instead of plastic can this work? part of their raw material comes from the cosmetics industry algae are processed into granulate [00:27:18] Speaker 5: we work with brown algae [00:27:20] Speaker 2: this is an algae biomass that is effectively upgraded and fed into an industrial process [00:27:26] Speaker 5: the processing is simple [00:27:40] Speaker 1: the dried algae granulate is ground to a very fine powder and then pressed into the desired material for years they worked on the right composition their goal to form a material that's a real alternative to petroleum based plastics a versatile substitute for plastic not only for the packaging industry the fine powder is pressed into shape for five minutes heated to 95 degrees in a special machine without any water consumption after two minutes time to cool the material is ready for use just as long as it doesn't come into contact with liquid [00:28:30] Speaker 2: here we have usb cases made of 100% algopack in fact we have here mainly algae and a few herbal additives it's 100% biodegradable if we put it in the water it will dissolve completely without any negative impact on the environment because it consists of 98% algae and 2% natural plant additives [00:29:01] Speaker 1: party cups glasses and cosmetic bottles contain between 20 and 50% algae the rest is still conventional plastic because otherwise they would not be waterproof [00:29:13] Speaker 2: our aim is to reduce the plastic content as much as possible and to manufacture everything from algopack in order to reduce the negative impact on the environment but we are only halfway there it will be at least another 10 years before we are able to cover all application areas [00:29:33] Speaker 5: and that limits the product range [00:29:39] Speaker 2: these are urns that are thrown into the sea when they come into contact with water they dissolve and disappear in this way the algae return to their original environment their original state [00:29:54] Speaker 1: the idea is ingenious but it still has a catch [00:30:01] Speaker 2: today there are various concessions for the use of the land the entire volume of algae in Brittany for example is not accessible to us you can have some but only in limited quantities this is regulated at state level it's the state that grants the collection licenses and the concessions [00:30:24] Speaker 1: and so the company imports some of its algae from the Caribbean however the production of bioplastics still makes sense every year seven and a half million tons of plastic waste ends up in our oceans the development of alternatives is urgently needed algae can make a major contribution if their share in new products is constantly increased back to the Faroe Islands with fantasy and new ideas Agnes also wants to inspire people for the algae she has devised a tour on which she wants to show a group of American students what the future of nutrition could be her plan a hike to the fjord [00:31:18] Speaker 4: hello welcome you brought the sun today it hasn't really been out yeah so how many are we it's a small seaweed so it sits on the rocks so it's you know nice and easy work you can sit down but it may be a little bit difficult these are big boulders and so man-made structures so you have to be really careful and walking and as we come further down towards the ocean you can see that the rocks are changing colors they're becoming more black and that's where it becomes slippery yeah you can take I can take this one [00:31:57] Speaker ?: yeah [00:31:57] Speaker 4: so just take your time [00:32:01] Speaker 1: worldwide there are already 500 algae species on the menu what has long been commonplace in Asia has yet to become established in the Faroe Islands algae do not yet have a good reputation here as food but Agnes wants to change that [00:32:26] Speaker 4: yeah you're doing really well the bucket is nearly full again [00:32:38] Speaker 1: the young Americans have no fear of contact [00:32:41] Speaker 4: you can even see that they have different colors [00:32:45] Speaker 10: it's very salty there's a lot of taste to it yeah [00:32:50] Speaker 11: we like salt a lot in the US so it would be a good alternative to utilize yeah I purchased like seaweed snacks in stores so I can imagine like doing the same thing with this it was very chewy when it was just straight off the rock but I think if you dried it as she was talking about in an oven as a chip it would be really good because you don't have to add any salt to it [00:33:11] Speaker 4: if this was a class of Faroe's students the same age they will probably be more hesitant to try it out because you know we in our culture even though we eat a lot of things from the sea we are kind of you know focused on the fish and that's what we eat seaweeds are traditionally something that were thought of as the poor man's food and it's not really something that we you know we don't a lot of people think it's not really delicious and it's maybe the opposite healthy algae need rocky ground which is a delicious species to eat also this is one we're going to cultivate this is the next step and then you have and then you have this one I don't have to fold it this one here I can't get it off it's pretty but yeah can you see it yeah so it's called laminaria digitata so finger kelp it's very interesting maybe not so much as a food species but it's interesting for industrial purposes it's full of bioactive compounds I don't like the taste of it so much because it's a bit metallic so my idea with it is I mean if somebody wants to buy it for food it's fine they can buy it but I would like to use it for industrial purposes [00:35:08] Speaker 1: the wild kelp forests thrive mainly near the coast in the temperate shore zones of the oceans but their existence is highly endangered scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven have been observing the condition of the large kelp forests a brown algae variety for years algae researcher Inka Bartsch is the specialist for the kelp forest and has just returned from an excursion to Spitsbergen can algae be an indicator of climate change? how do the large kelp forests react to the global rise in temperature? [00:35:51] Speaker 3: we want to find out what the structure of the kelp forest is like and go from Spitsbergen to Brittany we try to take samples from the southern to the northern distribution limit of a species what species are in it? how old are the individuals? so here in Spitsbergen for example it is really very distinctive that these kelps can become at least six to eight years old further down in the south like Heligoland where we did the same study last year they were only two to three years old the same species [00:36:23] Speaker 1: kelp forests are the submarine counterpart to our forests on land not only do they produce as much oxygen they are also a habitat for many other species kelp forests form an important habitat for the flora and fauna of the north sea but they are changing [00:36:53] Speaker 6: it has just been established that in recent years [00:36:57] Speaker 3: the kelp forests are declining due to heat waves in Western Australia for example where these brown alga forests have been decimated over hundreds of kilometers there have been such major collapses we are now interested in investigating what the real reasons are [00:37:17] Speaker 1: the researchers want to use the fresh finger kelp samples from Spitsbergen to investigate the condition of the kelp is the loss of the underwater forest also threatening our latitudes? this cannot be seen with the naked eye alone [00:37:35] Speaker 10: we are going to try a heat wave experiment [00:37:38] Speaker 3: and we just want to see when the algae are not doing so well anymore and with photosynthesis it is sometimes possible to detect this faster [00:37:48] Speaker 1: the measurement of the photosynthesis performance shows the water temperature at which the algae have stress even a slight rise in temperature can have dramatic consequences for the finger kelp in the north sea since the 1960s the temperature in the north sea has risen by 1.6 degrees centigrade [00:38:09] Speaker 3: take Heligoland for example all the model predictions we have say that by the end of the century there will probably be no kelp forest there anymore [00:38:19] Speaker 6: it will probably be no kelp in the north sea [00:38:21] Speaker ?: there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea there will be no kelp in the north sea [00:38:34] Speaker 1: on the Faroe Islands the natural kelp forests are still in good condition Agnes Molls-Mortensen knows how sensitive this underwater habitat is this is another reason why she grows her own algae she's on her way to look after the morning harvest she's rented storage space in a fish factory [00:38:57] Speaker 4: it's very important that we whatever we harvest has to be processed as fast as possible like a day to day with sun we wouldn't be able to leave it anywhere because it starts decaying straight away [00:39:11] Speaker 1: the work cannot be delayed Agnes is pressed for time before she can further process the algae they must first dry [00:39:28] Speaker 4: so we dry at low temperature so we keep it below 30 degrees Celsius and it actually depends on weather how long it takes because if it's humid outside it takes a bit longer but we will so today is Monday it will be dry maybe Wednesday or so and we need it really dry because we're going to process it into powder fresh seaweed salad [00:39:54] Speaker 1: is not a dish she could sell here that's why Agnes dries the algae that makes them durable the processing is done exclusively by hand Agnes would like to change that but doesn't want to make herself dependent either she is still looking for the right balance between idealism and business sense one thing is certain for her algae are indispensable for a healthy diet as a food producer she needs a good economic basis as a biologist who fights for the preservation of the ecosystem and for sustainability she is reluctant to industrialize her company [00:40:34] Speaker ?: and she is still looking for a healthy diet so she is still looking for her [00:40:38] Speaker 4: 20.6 so there is always a little extra for the customer we are facing an increase in our sales so we need more hands because it's so manually demanding so we are at a point now where we have to upscale a little bit [00:40:58] Speaker 1: so far algae have been in high demand as a food and oil supplier worldwide but now they are also becoming a much sought after research object in medicine the scientists at the Dresden University Hospital believe that they have much more to offer they have developed a process in which algae and human cells are brought together for the first time in a 3D printing process the task algae are supposed to supply the human cells in the body with oxygen the advantage there are no rejection reactions nevertheless green bioprinting is more complicated than expected [00:41:47] Speaker 2: we must of course bring the two worlds together light is a parameter but there are many more the human cells have very complex requirements with certain serums that have to be added there in order for the cells to develop properly [00:42:01] Speaker 6: it's completely unclear [00:42:02] Speaker 2: how algae react to these components [00:42:04] Speaker 1: algae are actually robust but after printing they need rest the human cells do not have this time they react sensitively when exposed to light for too long [00:42:16] Speaker 3: and cultivating these two types of cells under the same condition isn't easy but we've been able to show that it's possible in principle so that both cell types survive [00:42:30] Speaker 1: research is still in its infancy the benefits for medicine the pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetics industries seem promising as the biologically active substances of algae can be used in many different ways Felix Kruijac is working on making these substances accessible depending on the habitat of the algae they are completely different [00:42:53] Speaker 2: microalgae are found everywhere and have naturally adapted to the specific conditions especially with regard to their pigmentation and thus very different dyes can be obtained from these cells for example we have chlorophylls probably best known as a natural component of cells there are for example the fat-soluble carotenoids which we also gain in our processes another example would be this blue water-soluble pigment from the cyan bacterium Arthospira platensis or also conventionally called spirulina formerly called blue algae it doesn't have this name for nothing it's precisely this blue pigment that makes spirulina so special this allows it to colonize habitats that are also equipped with very low light intensities [00:43:47] Speaker 1: the extraordinary ability of algae to react to light has led to a ground-breaking development in France in the heart of Paris lies one of the most important eye centers in Europe here at José Arlanza-El's Institute blind people could be able to regain their sight [00:44:07] Speaker 2: the patients who participate in the clinical trials are often seriously and for a long time ill we try to avoid too high expectations because we are still at an early stage of scientific research we still know little about the quality of the results but they seem so promising that everyone wants to continue the project the project is so successful [00:44:29] Speaker 1: because scientists from different disciplines work together here the researchers have designed algae molecules that they can introduce into living tissue in order to take over the functions of defective photoreceptors we use the DNA sequence encoding the famous channel rhodopsin [00:44:52] Speaker 12: the light-sensitive protein of the alga that allows us to restore vision [00:44:56] Speaker 3: we isolate the sequence and insert it into a virus that looks like this origami model this virus is harmless to humans [00:45:24] Speaker 1: it is first produced in large quantities and then linked to the DNA of the algae protein in a complex process algae have photosensitive protein molecules so called eyes which enable them to align themselves optimally with light a similar molecule is found in the human retina it's part of the visual purple and ensures that brightness and colors are better perceived once the algae's DNA has been introduced into the virus it is then brought into the eye like a taxi it then transports the algae DNA precisely to the retina [00:46:02] Speaker 3: from a surgical point of view the eye is easily accessible the needle is inserted through the sclera allowing access to the retina which lines the back of the eye the virus can be injected into the vitreous via a needle it will slowly spread and infect the photoreceptors on the back of the eye and after some time when the DNA is in the nucleus of each of these cells they will begin to produce the light-sensitive channel rhodopsin protein themselves [00:46:40] Speaker 10: the scientists have previously used the retina of blind mice to investigate whether algae activate the photoreceptors [00:46:57] Speaker 1: they were able to show that the photoreceptors on the retina which had previously been infected with the DNA of the algae protein reacted to light the photoreceptors of algae have long been known but it's only now that the researchers have fully understood their mode of action like the light-sensitive molecules of algae the human retina converts light impulses into nerve signals [00:47:23] Speaker 2: each of the black dots you see here corresponds to one electrode these electrodes are like antennas that show us what happens on the retina and what message they send to the brain the special thing is that we can see what all cells see at the same time we have several hundred cells working at the same time and all sending a message to the brain together and we manage to intercept that message we can decipher it and understand what image of the world the retina sends to the brain thanks to this process we can understand the code [00:47:58] Speaker 1: first results of the clinical study show that the activation of the photoreceptors recovers light dark vision but the scientist is not satisfied with this [00:48:17] Speaker 10: we would like to think about strategies to restore color vision [00:48:25] Speaker 3: this procedure does not yet allow us to do so but the result would be vision as close as possible to natural vision [00:48:32] Speaker 1: the hope arising from the algae and the promise of a better world fascinate and drive Agnes her home is a small village at one of the typical bays of the Faroe Islands here she lives with her family two children and her husband for dinner she has prepared fish soup and of course algae are on the table [00:49:03] Speaker 4: you have to learn how to use it a little bit and also not be afraid of adding it to your food because the seaweed when it goes into the food it won't take over the taste it won't it won't taste of seaweed it will taste of whatever is in there and then the seaweed will add flavor to it it will enhance the flavor I'm a little bit picky with how I eat my series I don't like eating it in in the you know giant lumps or something I like I like it powdered or I like it you know mixed in the food [00:49:44] Speaker 1: the fact that algae are on the menu is a matter of course for the children after all they are the driving force behind Agnes's commitment [00:49:54] Speaker 4: at least I'm hoping that they will see the value of what we're doing and understand that you know you have to you have to be careful working with nature and not pushing nature so much that you know the balance tips so I hope you know I'm sure that they will at least understand why I've been dedicating so much time to this [00:50:19] Speaker 8: I hope you are losing my time when I run [00:50:33] Speaker 1: Scientists around the world are proving how valuable algae are for our future but research needs time, tenacity and industry money [00:50:42] Speaker 4: the interest in plants and seaweeds is probably something that fits very well to my personality somehow they're kind of calm but they're you know doing a lot of things but they are not moving so much there's maybe an element of studying them that fits better to me than chasing animals that move around and you never know when they will be there and where they are [00:51:09] Speaker 1: Algier as old as the world and an amazingly versatile ground breaking resource [00:51:16] Speaker 4: I think the most important thing with seaweeds when we go more into seaweed farming is that the seaweed farming process is such a good idea because it's sustainable you know they do photosynthesis from the sunlight and they take up the nutrients that are in the area you don't have to feed the seaweeds so it's quite a clean production the seaweeds are taking up CO2 as they are growing so I mean I don't think seaweeds can like save the world but they are definitely something that you know we should try and have a really serious seaweed production and try to get people in our part of the world to eat it [00:52:03] Speaker 1: Algae, their wondrous powers work not only as food but also in traffic, in the packaging industry and in medicine [00:52:13] Speaker ?: the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it and the seaweeds are being able to eat it Thank you.