Algae Volvox are spherical colonies of green algae cells clinging to a semi-transparent hollow ball of mucilage. A single colony may consist of over 500 cells, each one with a tiny pair of whip-like tails (flagella) - and all cells undulating their flagella in unison, propelling the colony through the water. Very large colonies can exceed 1 mm in diameter and are easily visible to the naked eye. Many will be found to contain daughter cells, and sometime even grand-daughter cells in various stages of development, within the hollow interior of the globe. Here the daughter cells can be seen as green developing colonial spheres within the hollow interior of the larger sphere. Darkfield microscopy. Mag: X75 @35mm. Credit: Michael Abbey / Photo Researchers, Inc.

Microscopic phytoplankton, a form of algae that lives suspended in water, are important as primary producers in aquatic ecosystems, providing the food base for most marine food chains. Fossilized algae have been dated back to 1.6--1.7 billion years ago, and the first land plants on earth evolved from shallow freshwater algae some 400 million years ago.

Algae cultivation has many different applications, including production of pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, food, fertilizer, bioplastics, dyes and colorants, chemical foodstocks and algal biofuel. Algae can also be used as a means of pollution control. Further, extracts and oils from algae are used as additives in various food products. It is algae's ability to produce Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids - the primary ocean source of the healthy Omega-3 oils found in aquatic species such as krill, salmon and tuna - that make these fish so valuable for human consumption.

For biofuels, algae are said to produce 15 to 300 times more oil per acre than conventional oilseed crops such as soy, canola or palm. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the U.S., just 15,000 square miles would be required - less than one-seventh the area of corn harvested in the U.S. in 2000.

In the last decade, the screening of microalgae for antibiotics and pharmacologically active compounds has garnered rising interest. A large number of antibiotic compounds, many with novel structures, have been isolated and characterized. A range of pharmacological activities has been observed - activities that may have application in human or veterinary aquaculture medicine or agriculture. Others could find application as research tools, or as structural models in the development of new drugs. The microalgae are particularly attractive as natural sources of bioactive molecules given that they have the potential to produce these compounds in culture. This could enable the production of structurally complex molecules, a task difficult or impossible to achieve by chemical synthesis.

Fundamental Technologies' scientists are conducting research programs into algae and its many properties and pharmacological applications.