BK 21 (Mar 3, 2020): Slime - How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us

Hi Everyone...

On Mar 3rd we will discuss "Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us" by Ruth Kassinger (June 11, 2019).

With 242 pages (less with many last page of chapters less than 1/2 page) and 4 weeks is 7 pages a day.

Check out the Bio & Video below:

"There are as many algae on Earth as stars in the universe, and they have been essential to life on our planet for eons. Algae created the Earth we know today, with its 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.

In Slime we’ll meet the algae innovators working toward 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.

With a multitude of lively, surprising science and history, Ruth Kassinger takes readers on an around-the-world, behind-the-scenes, and into-the-kitchen tour. Whether you thought algae was just the gunk in your fish tank or you eat seaweed with your oatmeal, Slime will delight and amaze with its stories of the good, the bad, and the up-and-coming."

Video (No embedding code available)
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Our Discussion on March 3rd included the following:

* Chapter 1 History & how it was very detailed & a bit much for us. :-) 

* General knowledge gain learning about Algae.

* Cyanobacteria's roles

* Lichen's roles

* Japan's 14g of Seaweed a day & longest life expectancy & other benefits (Correlational)

* Benefits of Red & Green Seaweed

* Where to get Algae locally (I found Thrive Algae oil at Walmart but have not tried it yet.)

* Climate Change (warming water) and Algae.

* Pembrokeshire Beach Food has Recipes on their website.

*  Taste Receptor Distribution on Tongue (map) is described wrong. (pg 79) Evenly distributed on tongue.

* Flash-Frozen method

* Kelp in cubes for smoothie

* Ocean Balance has products online and recipes

* Ocean Approved has products online and recipes

* Whole Foods Seaweed products

* Mariano's Seaweed products

* Meijer's Seaweed products

* Walmart Seaweed products

* Jewel Seaweed products

* Kroger Seaweed products

* Spirulina benefits & potential problems

* Earthrise Nutritionals, Inc. has products online and recipes

* Pre & Probiotics

* Kelp in livestock

* Algae's role in new drugs

* Water issues for Alage & use eating it

* Seaweed in wild versus Aquaculture tanks (variety of methods)

* Vivobarefoot running shoe Ultra III Bloom soles

* Billabong shoes (check out others)

* Firewire surfboard products

* Algae Oil

* Algae in beauty products

* Solazyme & Bunge Limited

* Algae in protein powder and substitutes in other foods.

* Omega 3 & Health (p 169)

* Ethanol

* Coral Reefs , zoox & bleaching.

* Saving Reefs & Force Blue Team

* Cyanobacteria Blooms & toxins

* Cleanup of Blooms

* Geoengineering/Iron Seeding

* Algae fibers replacing plastic, steel, aluminum and concrete

* Adding Algae to feed for livestock to reduce methane

* Green Algae to be added to infant formula

* Microalgae for a heat tolerant malaria vaccine

* Plant-based meat