algae

Topic description and stories

Shimmering seaweeds and algae antennae: sustainable energy solutions under the sea

22 Feb 2024

How could tiny antennae attached to tiny algae speed up the transition away from fossil fuels? This is one of the questions being studied by...

Artist' impression, Credit: Kadi Liis Saar

Harnessing the power of algae: new, greener fuel cells move step closer to reality

10 Jan 2018

A new design of algae-powered fuel cells that is five times more efficient than existing plant and algal models, as well as being potentially more...

Opinion: Can we save the algae biofuel industry?

10 May 2016

Christian Ridley (Department of Plant Sciences) discusses why algae biofuel has failed to deliver, and what could be done to save this promising...

Microscope images showing two species of algae which swim using tiny appendages known as flagella

Algae use their ‘tails’ to gallop and trot like quadrupeds

03 May 2016

Species of single-celled algae use whip-like appendages called flagella to coordinate their movements and achieve a remarkable diversity of swimming...

Jar of blue-green algae from Wolske Bay, Lake Menomin.

Making the most of algae

02 Sep 2013

The latest research on algal biotechnology is the subject of a major conference taking place today.

Microswimmers hit the wall

07 Jan 2013

New research reveals what happens when swimming cells such as spermatozoa and algae hit a solid wall, and has implications for applications in...

Rice plants propagated using tissue culture at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines

Turbocharging a new Green Revolution

07 Jul 2011

Plant scientists in Cambridge have embarked on ambitious plans to improve crop yields by solving one of the chief limitations of photosynthesis.

The appliance of design in science

15 Mar 2011

Designers have shaped the way we live today, created iconic products and disrupted industries – but could design also shape scientific research?

Bioenergy research blooms in Cambridge

01 Aug 2010

The Bioenergy Initiative is bringing biology and engineering together to address the challenge of meeting our future energy needs.

Stirring tails of evolution

01 May 2009

Researchers in Cambridge are studying how the generation of fluid flow by organisms may have played a role in the evolution of biological complexity...

Scientists discover ‘dancing’ algae

21 Apr 2009

Scientists at Cambridge University have discovered that freshwater algae can form stable groupings in which they dance around each other...