Latest news with #seaweed
Forbes
5 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Seaweed – The Superfood Tackling Health Emissions And Food Security
Healthy spirulina drink in the glass As the world battles rising chronic disease and climate instability, seaweed is emerging as a rare solution to both. Once relegated to coastal cuisines, this fast-growing marine macroalgae is now surfacing in dietary supplements, snacks, bioplastics and even methane-reducing livestock feed. Seaweed has emerged as a promising solution to help meet global food and material demands without expanding agricultural land. Researchers from institutions including the University of Queensland, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization found that scaling up the cultivation of commercially valuable seaweed species could significantly ease pressure on terrestrial farming. These findings underscore seaweed's potential to support both food security and climate goals, provided land and ocean resources are managed in an integrated, sustainable way. According to a Science Direct article, Western diets are deficient in fiber and essential micronutrients, contributing to gut imbalances, chronic inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. Seaweed, particularly sugar kelp, naturally fills these gaps with a potent mix of insoluble fibers such as fucoidan, beta-glucan, alginate, and cellulose. When fermented by gut bacteria, these fibers produce short-chain fatty acids, compounds linked to improved insulin sensitivity, satiety, and immune health. TOPSHOT - Captain John Lovett, 52, uses a knife to harvest kelp and throws keepers into a large bin ... More on the boat in Duxbury, Massachusetts on May 9, 2023. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) Seaweed Health Support From The Ocean OCEANIUM, a UK-based biotech founded by Karen Scofield Seal and Dr. Charlie Bavington, is using seaweed to support both people and planet. Their flagship product, OCEAN ACTIVES® H+, delivers a clinically proven 250 mg dose that improves the ratio of beneficial to harmful gut bacteria, specifically increasing Bifidobacterium while decreasing Enterobacteriaceae. The company's proprietary green biorefinery process ensures their ingredients are bioavailable, food-safe, and traceable from sea to shelf. OCEANIUM is also collaborating with Wageningen University on dementia-prevention research through the gut-brain axis and working with Reading University to explore human and pet nutrition. From a sustainability standpoint, seaweed requires no land, freshwater, or fertilizer, making it one of the most sustainable crops on Earth. According to the company, it supports six UN Sustainable Development Goals, absorbs CO₂ and nitrogen, and increases marine biodiversity. OCEANIUM is not alone in the innovation game. PhycoHealth in Australia produces seaweed-based capsules targeting gut and skin health. FutureFeed, another Australian agritech company, has developed a seaweed-based cattle feed supplement that cuts methane emissions by over 80%, according to CSIRO. Challenges Facing Seaweed And The Way Forward Despite its potential, seaweed still faces hurdles to mainstream adoption. Limited processing infrastructure poses a bottleneck to scaling, and its taste and texture can be off-putting to some consumers. According to the OCEANIUM team, overcoming these challenges requires offering products in familiar, easy-to-use formats with a neutral flavor profile. Their approach focuses on refining seaweed into versatile ingredients that seamlessly integrate into everyday foods like snacks, soups, and protein bars. Just as crucial is consumer education, emphasizing seaweed's health benefits and sustainability value to build trust and encourage widespread use. Pills of seaweed spirulina, chlorella on a wooden spoon close up. Vegetarian Super food with plant ... More protein Seaweed is no longer a fringe ingredient, it is a frontier crop with the potential to nourish people and regenerate the planet. Backed by science, powered by innovation, and aligned with global sustainability goals, seaweed offers a rare convergence of health, climate, and economic opportunity. Seaweed brands are proving that with smart processing, strategic partnerships, and consumer education, seaweed can transcend its niche and become a mainstream force in food systems, bioeconomy, and environmental resilience. The path forward isn't without obstacles, but if cultivated with care, this marine resource could help reshape the future of both nutrition and planetary stewardship.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
UW researchers create new low-carbon concrete with seaweed
The Brief University of Washington researchers have created a type of concrete that is more eco-friendly. The concrete is infused with seaweed, which acts as a substance that absorbs and reduces the release of carbon dioxide. SEATTLE - University of Washington researchers have created a new type of concrete that could cut concrete's carbon footprint. Concrete is the second most used material by humans annually, behind water, but researchers have created seaweed-infused cement – a major component of concrete – that may emit less carbon dioxide than regular concrete. What we know Cement is the source of nearly 10% of all CO2 emissions worldwide, but students at UW have been addressing this problem by creating a low-carbon concrete powder infused with seaweed. One kilogram of cement will emit almost a kilogram of CO2 in return from fossil fuels used to heat the materials and calcination, a chemical reaction during the heating of raw materials like cement. Seaweed can combat the emissions as a carbon sink – something that absorbs more carbon than it releases – and, when mixed with concrete and made into cement, has a 21% lower global warming potential while keeping the strength of regular cement, according to the UW study. Researchers built and used a machine-learning model to shorten the time it would take to find an ideal formula for seaweed-infused concrete. What may have taken research teams months in the past to complete, took the UW team 28 days. Moving forward, researchers will continue to study and test how the infusion of seaweed may affect cement strength and structure, and will use machine learning to expedite the process again. The project and research paper were co-authored by Meng-Yen Lin, a UW materials science and engineering doctoral student, Paul Grandgeorge, a former UW materials science and engineering postdoctoral researcher, and Kristen Severson, a principal researcher at Microsoft Research. The project was funded by Microsoft Research. Learn more about the research project here. The Source Information in this article is from a University of Washington news release. MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE Police dashcam video shows triple-murder suspect Travis Decker days before crime Judge lifts gag order in Idaho murders case against Bryan Kohberger Idaho hiker mistaken for Travis Decker tells all Police, prosecutors disagree on charges for Renton transit shooting suspects Grandmother shot near Pioneer Square 'thought it was a rock' that hit her Buyer secures iconic Seattle 'Spite House' under listing price Seattle Kraken release schedule for 2025-26 season To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news. Solve the daily Crossword
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Find out how seaweed could prevent global famine
A new study from the University of Canterbury has shown that seaweed could potentially avert a significant number of deaths from starvation in the future. Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor David Denkenberger explains how. Seaweed growing in long lines. Photo: University of Canterbury
CTV News
7 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Saint Mary's University students transforming seaweed into compostable plastic
Saint Mary's University students transform seaweed into compostable bioplastic that could be used to make grocery bags. A recent engineering graduate from Saint Mary's University is working to eliminate the use of single-use plastic. 'Last year, working on a research project, I wanted to change something from an idea into a reality and then from there we found 'Alaagi' where we are creating bioplastic using seaweed,' says Sheheryar Khan, CEO and founder of the group. Khan says Alaagi means change in Greek and that's exactly the message they want to convey. Their goal is to transform seaweed into a compostable type of plastic. 'Seaweed grows everywhere in the oceans and is a material that is free and governments pay us to use it, or to extract it and we can use that to make our plastics,' says Khan. Khan says they are ensuring the seaweed is harvested in a sustainable way. When the collected seaweed samples are cut halfway so the ecosystem is not disrupted. The team is currently able to make soft and flexible films, and eventually they plan to create hard and rigid plastics that are all compostable. 'We are testing for stuff like durability, barrier properties and then we would apply for certifications such as compostability and food safety and hoping to have that in before the end of the year,' says Khan. Bioplastic bags are the first product they are creating and those will be ready to hit the market in the next few months. But their end goal is to break into the food packaging industry. 'We are targeting the food packaging industry to remove plastics that are used in the single-use plastics industry, such as wrapping sandwiches, wrapping seafood and meat,' says Khan. Khan says none of this would be possible without the university providing the space and the professors, as well as the Enactus team and co-op students. 'When it's in the beaker, it's all liquid and the second you put it in the trays it gels and you can peel it and you can come back like 10 seconds later and it's an actual film, which is super cool,' says student Brianne Lawton. 'At the start I was just scanning through research articles, and doing all the starter stuff you have to do. But now going back and looking at my organization and all my notes versus my notes now, it's a crazy difference. Now I can identify all the important information that is going to be useful whereas before I was like, well, this could be helpful.' 'We are part of the Hult competition, we are the top 22 teams in the world out of 15,000 that participated and we are going to London, UK, with my teammates Vaishali and Tyler for $1 million in September,' says Khan. Khan's two teammates, Vaishali Sachdeva and Tyler MacLean, helped him and Alaagi compete against 56 international teams. Now it's on to stage four of the Hult Prize competition: the Global Accelerator. Khan says a victory would bring them even closer to their goal of removing plastics 'That one million would go towards creating more of these plastics and we would love to have our own facility to create these samples and supply the companies that we are in talks with and it would really mean a lot in terms of bringing people that have expertise in this field,' says Khan. The team just won the national Enactus competition and are heading to Thailand for their world cup this fall. 'A chance to have an impact on the lives of the people after us, the next generation and to help make science better and more innovative,' says Lawton. Sheheryar Khan Sheheryar Khan is the founder and CEO of Alaagi. (Source: Emma Convey/CTV News Atlantic) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Skift
09-07-2025
- Skift
'No-Go Zones': Hotels Tackle Record Sargassum With Floating Ocean Barriers
With more sargassum expected through the summer and in the future, both travelers and the hospitality industry are adapting but long-term solutions may require broader environmental and policy action. A record mass of sargassum seaweed is impacting coastal areas and beaches across the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America this summer and more is on the way. Satellite imagery shows massive floating masses of the brown seaweed drifting from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, a region now referred to as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt. According to the University of South Florida, the sargassum has reached a record 38 million metric tons, causing disruptions to the area, including many beach resorts and hotels. Satellite images from this week show Sargassum masses. Red shows areas with particulary large amounts of the seaweed. Credit: University of South Florida. The worst-hit areas include Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Martinique, Guyana, and Mexico's Caribbean coast. Some beachfront resorts are trying to shield guests from the unsightly and smelly seaweed. Resorts and Tourists Tackle Rising Seaweed On Beaches The 715-room Hilton Cancun has de
