Seaweed forms underwater forests along the world's coasts that matter enormously for ocean life and the climate. This lecture asks what seaweed actually is, since it is not a plant but an alga, and how it differs from plants and animals.
The talk also looks at how seaweed is cultivated both in the sea and on land, and at the sustainable solutions it may offer for climate, biodiversity and future food. People have used seaweed for food, feed, fertiliser and materials for millennia, and the evening asks whether it can really help solve today's crises. The programme ends with a tasting that explores seaweed's flavours.
This is an updated version of a lecture first given in autumn 2020. It is part of the public science lecture series run by Aarhus University in collaboration with hosts in several cities, and supported by the Carlsberg Foundation.
