“Engaging, occasionally icky, and deeply informative”
— Elizabeth Kolbert
Say “algae” and most people think of pond scum. What they don’t know is that without algae, none of us would exist.
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.
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.
Longlisted for Britain’s Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation
And:
An Amazon Best Science Title of 2019
A Science News Best Title of 2019
A New York Times New and Noteworthy Title
A Science Friday Best Book of the Summer
A Library Journal Best Science and Technology Book of 2019
A BookPage Best Book of 2019
“Kassinger … packs an impressive amount of biochemistry into digestible terms.
— Lucy Jakub, The New York Review
“A book full of delights and surprises. Algae are the hidden rulers of our world, giving us oxygen, food, and energy. This is a beautiful evocation of the many ways that our past and future are entangled in their emerald strands.”
— David George Haskell, author of The Songs of Trees and Pulitzer Prize-finalist The Forest Unseen
“Comparisons to Mary Roach and Susan Orlean are well-deserved”
— Booklist, starred review