Overview

Say algae and most people think of pond scum. What they don't know is that without algae, none of us would exist. There are as many algae on earth as stars in the universe, and they have been essential to life on our planet for aeons. Algae created our oxygen-rich atmosphere, abundant oceans and coral reefs. Crude oil is made of dead algae, and algae are the ancestors of all plants. Today, seaweed production is a multi-billion-dollar industry, with algae hard at work to make your sushi, chocolate milk, beer, paint, toothpaste, shampoo and so much more. Delving into science and history, in this revelatory book Ruth Kassinger takes readers on an around-the-world, behind-the-scenes, and into-the-kitchen tour. We'll meet the algae innovators working towards a sustainable future: from seaweed farmers in South Korea, to scientists using it to clean the dead zones in our waterways, to the entrepreneurs fighting to bring algae fuel and plastics to market. Whether you thought algae was just the gunk in your fish tank or you eat seaweed with your porridge, Bloom will overturn everything you thought you knew about these little green cells and the immense power that they hold. This could be the future of our rapidly changing world.

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9781783964413

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Reviews

With brio and great wisdom, Ruth Kassinger demonstrates how the apparently humble and often disregarded algae ( pond scum ) are actually amongst the major engines of life on our planet. Bloom is a classic of our environmental crisis, alongside books such as Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction. - Peter Forbes, author of The Gecko's Foot; A book full of delights and surprises . . . This is a beautiful evocation of the many ways that our past and future are entangled in their emerald strands - David George Haskell, author of Pulitzer Prize-finalist The Forest Unseen; Ruth Kassinger is a witty and affable guide throughout this globetrotting celebration of an overlooked life form - Thor Hanson, author of Buzz, The Triumph of Seeds and Feathers; 'Engaging and deeply informative' - Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

Author Information

Ruth Kassinger is the author of Paradise Under Glass and A Garden of Marvels, as well as a number of award-winning science and history books for young adults. She has written for the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, Health magazine, National Geographic Explorer, and other publications. She is a frequent speaker at conservatories, arboretums and garden clubs, and has been featured on radio shows and Voice of America.

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