Slime

In this entertaining popular-science overview, botany expert Ruth Kassinger details how scientists and entrepreneurs explore algae as an ingredient in alternative fuels, a basis for carbon-neutral plastic, and a tool for clearing pollution from lakes and rivers. Algae, she explains, created half the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere, acted as regulators of the planet’s temperature, served as the foundation of the oceans’ food chain and – by evolving into plants – pioneered life on land. Kassinger details these photosynthesizing organisms – which range from tiny unicellular creatures in pond scum to multicellular seaweed over 150 feet tall – and all their fascinating, multi-use applications.

Algae

At the beginning of life on Earth, algae created much of the oxygen in the oceans and on land, and for billions of years served as a direct or indirect food source for all marine organisms.