Algae, seriously… isn’t it boring ?

First day and beginning of the mission, I will try to discover what motivates these Algonauts!

We meet Professor Dinabandhu Sahoo, who is the director of the Marine Biotechnology laboratory in the Department of Botany at the University of Delhi. He has been working in the field of algae for nearly 30 years. His work focuses on different themes: macroalgae cultivation, biofuel production from microalgae, CO2 sequestration by algae, etc.

Honestly I do not understand anything, I would have many more questions about all of these topics. But, presently, what matters the most to me is figuring out how someone can be interested in these sticky things. I asked the Professor.

”Pr. Sahoo : Jacqueline, rather than answering to you with words, please have this ice cream!

Jacqueline : Oh… thanks a lot! So refreshing with this heat!

Pr. Sahoo : Isn’t it? Do you know why this ice cream is so tasty and has such a soft texture? It is because one of the ingredients in it comes from seaweeds. Just before, you told that you took a medicine to help your digestion last night. There is seaweed in that too! The capsule of your medicine contains a bit of alga. It helps to the transport and release of the active compound during digestion. The sun hits pretty hard today, you may put some sunscreen Jacqueline. Take some.

Jacqueline : Thanks! You really think of everything!

Pr. Sahoo : That’s because algae are everywhere, even in your sunscreen! In cosmetics also: make up, cream, spa products. Algae make us more beautiful. Your shirt is very nice by the way.

Jacqueline: Thanks! Such a gentleman!

Pr. Sahoo : Once again, that’s the doing of algae! Seaweed extracts were used to fix the color patterns of your shirt. But that’s not all, algae extracts are used in many fields: food and feedstock, fertilizer, environmental applications, paints, printings, electrodes,… and so on. You consume some algae every day without knowing it! Algae is the future. There is no other type of plant in the plant kingdom which can have as many uses. In my work, I focus on how to turn this resource to the benefit of society. How not to be enthusiastic about so much potential! And algae are essential to our survival, isn’t it a reason good enough to be interested in it?”

To be continued in #6

Adapted from the interview of Dr. Sahoo, click here