20 February: Seaweed

The International Seaweed Symposium is taking place in Australia now (in 2023). Here are 10 things you might not know about seaweed:

1. Seaweeds are not plants. Although they photosynthesise like plants do, they don’t have roots, but rather attaches itself to rocks with structures called holdfasts. Nor do seaweeds have Flowers. They’re actually a type of algae.
2. There are over 12,000 species of seaweeds. There is 9 times more seaweed in the seas than plants on land.
3. They are classified into three types, based on their colours: Green, Red and Brown. Green is the least common, and includes sea lettuce. Red seaweeds sometimes grow in Coral reefs, and include Irish moss. Brown seaweeds include giant kelp.
4. Most of the Oxygen in the atmosphere, about 70%, comes from seaweed.
5. It’s also good at absorbing heavy metals and other harmful chemicals from the sea. Seaweeds also absorb carbon dioxide and turn it into seaweed biomass in a process called carbon sequestration.
6. The fact that seaweeds can grow very fast means they can help a lot in combating climate change. The giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera, for example, can grow nearly a metre (three feet) a day.
7. Seaweed can be farmed and used for numerous purposes. It’s a common ingredient in Asian cooking. The largest seaweed-producing countries are China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Wakame, Kombu and Nori are all well-known seaweeds used as ingredients in Asian dishes. Other uses include making gels which can be used in dairy products, desserts, Toothpaste, air freshener gels, processed meats, and pet food. Agar is made from seaweed and it can even be used to make fire-proof clothing for firefighters.
8. Seaweed is rich in iodine and has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. The ancient Romans used seaweed to treat wounds, burns and rashes, and still, alginate is widely used in hospital dressings. The general good health of the Japanese people have been attributed to the amount of seaweed in their diet.
9. In Victorian times, collecting seaweed, drying and pressing it was a common hobby.
10. Seaweed is sometimes used to build roofs on houses on Læsø in Denmark

Character birthday

Snazz, aka Elroy Fortelli. He’s known as Snazz due to his tendency to wear brightly coloured and often clashing outfits. It’s rumoured he is colour blind which is why his clothes often clash. This may be linked to his genetic variant ability to cause hallucinations in others. The Fortellis are one of three rival gangster families based in New York City.