All posts tagged: algae

Living robots could transform medicine, helping rescue missions

Living robots could transform medicine, helping rescue missions

Published by Jenni Sidey

Tiny robots face a brutal problem. The smaller they get, the harder it becomes to power them, guide them and keep them useful in messy places. A rigid machine may work well on a lab bench, but the human body is not a lab bench. Neither is a flooded tunnel, polluted river or collapsed building. A new review argues that the answer may not come from better chips. Instead, engineers may need to partner with life itself. Researchers are building living biohybrid miniature robots, or LBMs, by combining living organisms with synthetic tools. These systems use bacteria, algae, immune cells, sperm cells and insects as natural engines. They can move, sense, adapt and sometimes repair themselves. The relationship diagram and size range of LBMs in the field of robotics. (a) Schematic showing the relationships between robotics, miniature robots, biohybrid miniature robots, and LBMs. (CREDIT: International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing) Why Biology Solves A Robot Problem Traditional miniature robots can be precise, but they struggle in complex settings. They often need outside power. They may fail …

Glowing algae could power the lamps of the future

Glowing algae could power the lamps of the future

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletterđź’ˇ Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Bioluminescence is everywhere in nature, but it puts on its biggest light shows underwater. In the deepest regions of the oceans, as much as 90 percent of all living creatures may possess at least some ability to shimmer thanks to cellular chemical reactions. However, the ethereal displays aren’t limited to these deep, dark waters. The cold blue glow from bioluminescent algae like Pyrocystis lunula is occasionally visible atop waves for other organisms to see. Still, spotting these glimmers is difficult for the naked eye. P. lunula only shines for a few milliseconds at a time when agitated. However, those lights could hypothetically remain illuminated for much longer if certain chemical switches are flipped on in the algae. The possibilities would be vast—suddenly, harmless organisms could replace environmentally toxic chemicals used to produce artificial glows, and even cut back on electricity usage for lights. “This project was a moonshot idea,” University of Colorado Boulder civil engineer Wil Srubar said in …

Toxic algae turned a frozen lake green

Toxic algae turned a frozen lake green

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletterđź’ˇ Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. In the Czech Republic, a frozen lake’s emerald green ice is giving biologists an unprecedented opportunity to study a strange—and ominous—natural phenomenon. At the end of 2025, researchers at Czech Academy of Sciences traveled to Lake Lipno in South Bohemia to collect and examine samples from a rare cyanobacteria bloom in the dead of winter. Their findings could help better understand a problem that threatens both local marine life and nearby human populations. Like many bodies of water, Lake Lipno is no stranger to cyanobacteria. The photosynthetic blue-green algae typically flourishes during the warmer months of summer and autumn, particularly in an environment with excess nutrients—a process known as eutrophication. Cyanobacteria blooms are notoriously foul-smelling, but the real issue is the damage they wreak on local ecologies. Each bloom produces exponentially growing waves of cyanotoxins that can poison and even kill nearby aquatic organisms. Unfortunately, these algae incidents are increasing due to climate change and human pollution, particularly industrial …