How a Kitchen Mishap Changed Science Forever

[@pbsterra]

Hey Terrans! As some of you eagle-eyes science enthusiasts have noted, our recipes for tokoroten and the agar jelly should read 500 mL of liquid (not 5 mL) to 5 grams of agar powder (not 1 gram). The gelatin jelly recipe should similarly read 1 sachet of gelatin bloomed in ~80 mL of water, then added to 500 mL of your preferred liquid. Apologies for the confusion resulting from this editing fail!

[@alveolate]

yet another fascinating fail! but don't be so hard on the editor, the video was chock full of cute edits :)

[@all3ykat79]

They used to comb Petone beach so it would look nice. But my fishing mad truck mechanic father knew that was a terrible idea. He teamed up with the head scientist at NZ's national museum, Te Papa.. My dad did the leg work, going to the beach, taking photos, and utilised his lifelong knowledge of marine ecology, fintertidal systems, and and the food sources. He even discovered a new type of sand fly. So together, they wrote a science paper, proving that the sandfy is eaten by the yellow eyed mullet, which is eaten by kahawai, and ultimately the endangered Hector/Maui dolphin. They no longer comb the beach, and so kelp is left undisturbed. He also got them to change the way they manage intertidal zones, and stream beds, to protect the banks and plant native species in the wash zone of them, instead of introduced species on top of the bank. Amongst all the other awesome things my dad has made happen to protect our environment and fish stocks.

[@susanfrary6880]

Great story. Thanks for sharing it!

[@environmentaldataexchange3906]

...eat fruit jelly!

[@nikiTricoteuse]

Wow. Kudos to your dad e hoa.

[@environmentaldataexchange3906]

@@nikiTricoteuse I would kiss your Jelly Noodles too!

[@all3ykat79]

@@environmentaldataexchange3906 fruit jelly?

[@aldechanfull]

As an Indonesian, this baffles me since the school days.. does the "agar" we used in petri dish is the same fruit jelly I ate when I was a kid? And Sue explained it today and I just knew!!!!

[@victoriaeads6126]

It seems really weird, doesn't it? I always have this idea that lab things and food/kitchen things are never the same. I mean, you wouldn't want to eat petri dish agar, and lab cleanliness (very, very important lab cleanliness!!) is probably a big part of this mindset, but it's really interesting that it's the same stuff.

At least the name agar is Malaysian. Isn't it the same in Indonesian? In my language, Catalan, we call it using your plural, agar-agar.

[@sonkeschluter3654]

Agar-Agar is the german word too

[@solarmoth4628]

I’ve heard both Agar-Agar and just Agar in English.

[@aldechanfull]

Yes we use both agar and agar-agar

[@KORUPTable]

This is why people with different interests can improve each others work, you might know everything about one thing but someone that knows little about it can help make huge discovery's that would otherwise not be considered.

[@WinnieHoneyBeeTea]

Imagination is only limited by the knowledge you feed it.

[@1One2Three5Eight13]

I had made an agar-based snack, and offered some to a friend of mine, and with her only previous exposure to agar being in petri dishes in the bio lab, it took her a minute to switch gears. (She accepted the offer and enjoyed it, but had to adjust her thinking first)

[@rrni2343]

Agar.. Penicillin.. dirty dishes are the unsung heroes of our modern day life.

[@kaldogorath]

I'm not lazy, I'm a scientist

[@eTraxx]

@@kaldogorath I need that spelled out on the wall on my kitchen

[@hewwo3743]

also the origin of fermented products such as alcohol, pickles, miso, etc

[@kaitd3816]

This gives me comfort, knowing my sink is full.

[@merindymorgenson3184]

Darn, just spent over an hour washing my dishes from the day as I was too sick earlier today. Should have left them a little longer apparently 😂.

[@noaht5654]

To this date, I am amazed when a chemist doesn't see a kitchen as just a wet lab for human consumption.

[@screenmonkey]

There is an entire field of food chemistry.

[@KinDiedYesterday]

Probably up to the individual, or like take it for granted that they never connect the dots. I mean, for example, if you had seen a species of bird all your life (say, you live in a village), you wouldn't have thought that it might not have been documented yet wouldnt you?

[@jackandblaze5956]

When I was a kid growing up, I had a friend whose parents were both accomplished research bio-chemists. They always had the most amazing and delicious food at their house. Chemists understand recipes, temperatures, and reactions on a level that is beyond the rest of us.

[@NirvanaFan5000]

growing seaweed also helps pull co2 out of the ocean! Also, feeding cattle seaweed reduces the methane in their burps! Also, check out 3d-ocean farming!

[@goodun2974]

My nephew graduated college with a degree in aquaculture; his dream is to own a vertically-integrated kelp and shellfish farm.

[@toericabaker]

​@@goodun2974 amazing like an underwater three sisters system

[@koltoncrane3099]

Nirvana Did you know humans release tons of methane? That’s never talked about. I was shocked when I learned that. Everyone hates cows but no one shames humans for releasing methane. The government probably doesn’t shame humans for releasing methane cause they don’t want people to stop eating fast food or at Taco Bell.

[@NirvanaFan5000]

@@koltoncrane3099 are you dumb?

[@Tvianne]

@@koltoncrane3099 you fart even when you don't eat crap food (pun unintended, but I like it! 😁)

[@randyford8646]

PBS is so smart to work with Maren Hunsberger! She is amazing at explaining things on camera. Kudos and thanks

[@kevinangus4848]

I love explaining this stuff to people. "So, smart girls in a lab are growing seaweed in the ocean...for important industrial materials?" " Yes. And your 'special' gummies, too. " 😁

[@jamiejames2338]

Kinda off topic, but it's inspiring to see all these women in science. Really great!

[@Trund27]

Yeah! Really inspiring.

[@jimbucket2996]

Even the lab needs to get cleaned.

[@adamk.7177]

@@jimbucket2996 incel detected

[@theAAtiger]

​@@jimbucket2996 go kick the bucket jim

[@stephgreen3070]

It’s lovely to finally hear their side of the story because for so long their names and contributions were swept under the rug. We’ve always been there! Women often just didn’t get the credit they deserved.

[@annunacky4463]

As a food chemist decades ago I used carrageenan to thicken my creations…also a seaweed extract.

[@penguindrum264]

Isn't it also from red algae, albeit a different species?

[@enkisdaughter4795]

I’ve got coeliac disease and use both agar agar and carageen in my baking. Also started using psyllium husk in my bread making about 12 months ago.

[@Beryllahawk]

I love this so much. Such humble beginnings and yet SO MUCH is owed to the seaweed (and the women as well)! Also, B. Cereus is my new favorite dad joke!

[@jpbaley2016]

To be specific, it is Bacillus cereus and causes two forms of food poisoning. 1) Intoxication - as Bacillus cereus grows (one of the fastest growing pathogens) it secretes enterotoxins that when it reaches a certain levels, causes GI distress - nausea and vomiting within 30 min of ingestion. It’s self-limiting with most symptoms gone within 24-48 hrs. The toxin survives cooking so it can’t be cooked out. The microbe is a spore former and cooking may destroy the living cell but the spores survive and germinate and begin to grow creating the toxins. It’s a hardy bug that grows at temperatures up to 130 deg F and some subspecies grows down to 39 deg F. B. cereus grows very well and very quickly in rice, which is why food people in the know tell you to refrigerate your rice promptly and throw it out if not used in 3 days. 2) It can also cause an infection, which may take a few days to show symptoms of fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Epidemiologists can identify certain food-borne illnesses by the rapidity of symptoms, the type of symptoms, and how long they last. Stool samples from patients are taken to confirm and are either plated on agar plates (preferably if an outbreak is suspected) or petrifilm for a quick ID that doesn’t help in identifying specific markers to identify an outbreak and its source.

[@IanGrams]

Fascinating as always. I knew petri dishes used agar but didn't quite realize it had culinary uses and how the two overlapped. Also was really interesting to see how kelp is farmed. I had no idea it uses spores like ferns do.

[@noronahahaha]

I seriously enjoyed the animation on the gelatin. As a microbiology major, I have of course made many agar plates for yeast and E. coli. Probably hundreds. But now I’m questioning if I should add agar to my soil, which seems to be very dry all the time.

[@walterbordett2023]

As they say, luck is the confluence of preparation and opportunity. A lot of discoveries are accidental or failures of other intentions. Vulcanization of natural rubber, penicillin, post-it notes, nylon and many more

[@toucan8256]

Dr Veenhof has a truly distinct speaking accent. I spent the whole second half of the video trying to decipher where it is from. There are traces of something like a Scandinavian native language, or probably Dutch, judging by her last name. Also several elements of British English; but she also has rhotic r pronunciation, so maybe Ireland or Scotland? Finally, some of her sentences sound like they have some Australian or Kiwi inflection to them. Really fascinating!

[@dielaughing73]

Yes definitely. I'd say Dutch with a big dose of Irish. As an Aussie I hear those Antipodean-sounding vowels you detect but they sound less Australian and more Dutch or German to me. I've noticed the similarity before in certain words

[@derkveenhof306]

She is Dutch. She is my sister 😊.

[@dontsqueakthecat]

I found out I have celiacs disease about 6 mo ago. One of the things I have noticed is that agar is used as a structural/ onding agent in place of the gluten in flour.

[@victoriaeads6126]

I think my favorite part is the very end, they all descend on it like a flock of hungry birds while the lady who made the glass noodles just takes it in stride 😂❤

[@sheilapics]

Is so great to know where the things we eat or use are coming from. I remember seeing “Agar” on a protein shake and I was like “what is this!?” and then forgot to look out for it. I wish I could have seen this video before! because now I can definitely trust in it as an ingredient. It was also fun and insightful to know about Tokoroten dish, I want to make that too!! LOVE THIS VIDEO!❤

[@goodun2974]

Carrageenan is another thickening-gel food additive made from seaweed. You'll see it listed as an ingredient in some ice cream brands.

[@raerohan4241]

Exact reason why the mindset of "if you don't know the ingredient, it's bad for you" is so ridiculous

[@SteelHex]

I grew up in Indonesia a long time ago, and back then we didn’t have gelatin-based jelly, it was all agar-based. Yes, we call it agar-agar.

[@rodneymounsey4168]

That was sensational! Science, entertainment, hope and smiles. Subscribed how could I not?

[@justinpape]

This was so informative! I create materials and artwork using Agar, and I didn't know a lot of this information.

[@Trund27]

What a lovely video! PBS does great content.

[@jonrettich-ff4gj]

One of the clearest, most concise and informative presentations I have ever seen. At the same time light and entertaining. Thanks so much

[@Serenity_Dee]

3:58 remember, slurping your noodles is proper etiquette!

[@Acidfunkish]

It's not generally seen as "polite," even in Japan. Just more acceptable than it would be in some other countries.

[@Malaphor2501]

We use Tryptic Soy Agar at work for monitoring surfaces (like walls and equipment) for bacterial growth (I work in a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, so we need to ensure everything is sterile). It never occurred to me just how new of a substance it is.

[@Chiamex]

I love her natural looking eye brows. They are not plucked to a thin line and arched over her eyes as everyone else's are today. Bravo!!

[@Zeero3846]

It shouldn't be a surprise that the kitchen can be a place of scientific discovery. It's just that we're aiming to eat what we make rather than analyze it. I mean, it's the one place in the house where we mix together energetic substances to make more palatable energetic substances that we put into our bodies to absorb that energy, so we can use it to live. It's also equipped with a number of things that might be considered lab equipment: a variety of heating devices, a fume hood, glassware, stirring rods, a closet of chemical substances, a scale, liquid measuring tools, etc.

[@LeoAngora]

Thanks for the video! Cool story and new learnings. I also loved your glasses!

[@DZrache]

I'm feeling inspired to conduct my own studies on the different seaweeds that grow around the UK coasts. I've read that all the species that grow here are non-toxic, although whether they're edible is down to personal taste.

[@NathanHarrison7]

Well produced and excellent video. Thank you. Subscribed.

[@TheOlibaba]

1:51 That is much more than 5 ml, I'd say maybe 500 ml?

[@markholm7050]

Next, carrageenan!

[@mcv2178]

Yeah! I learned about that from the Black Stallion book when I was quote young, so it is a soft nostalgic slot for me

[@goodun2974]

Youu read my mind! Carrageenan is often seen listed as an ingredient in ice cream.

[@fredericapanon207]

Alas, it appears that carragenan has inflammatory properties, contraindicated for people with IBS, along with potential links to colon cancer.

[@penguindrum264]

@@goodun2974Ice Cream is only one product it is commonly found it. I love drinking something called 'irish Moss' which isn't Irish, but is a delicious Caribbean(Jamaican) drink.

[@jujutrini8412]

@@penguindrum264 Not just Jamaica. Some islands call it “Sea Moss”.

[@eklectiktoni]

3:10 "It's much more clean, and simple..." My mind: *simple and clean is the way that you're making me feeeeeeeeel tonight!*

[@illogicalparadox]

Hoooooold meee!!

[@peetsnort]

The outer island off the uk feed the sheep with seaweed and plough it into the soil. Capetown uses it for ice cream. The Welsh make lava bread

[@MonsterMovieTV]

2:40 - You'd be surprised how many world changing discoveries were just lazy accidents.

[@LaughterOnWater]

This was a particularly insightful episode.

[@brynadoodle]

YOU NEED TO SLURP 😂 aweosme vid I learned so much!!!

[@pierreabbat6157]

My favorite seaweed is wakame (I'll take badderlocks too, but I haven't seen any lately), my noodles are made of grain, I make bone broth, and AFAIK I've never eaten tokoroten.

[@verdatum]

And just a little more chemistry involving calcium ions and you get alginate, which is delightful stuff in its own right...Unless your dentist overfilled the mold-tray and you feel the impression gel sliding against the back of your throat ;)

[@masterofnonetech]

Great to you Marin on PBS!!

[@artboymoy]

Love it! Now I'm hungry....

[@MrMartinSchou]

While 3.7 million tons of sea weed sounds like a lot, it's less than the amount of wheat produced in a small country like Denmark (4.1 million tons a year).

[@goodun2974]

Seaweed also has higher water content than wheat; a ton of wheat probably takes up a lot more physical space than a ton of seaweed.

[@corlisscrabtree3647]

Thank you 🙏

[@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts]

This was very cool. Lots of great information. Thank you! ❤

[@Sukshula]

your videos are a must-watch for anyone interested in learning!

[@Sergei_WHY]

Very cool to see how they are propagating these algae. I hope they get to understand seaweed better!

[@CodyBrumfield1]

Laziness is the true mother of invention.

[@GeneFraxby]

Great video, and a delight to see Maren back on screen again.

[@jonbettson7435]

You are absolutely one of my fave presenters ever. Third timer.

[@bluebutterflywellness2273]

LOVED THIS! I use agar ALL the time in my cooking, but now will also incorporate in my gardening. 💕

[@deekang6244]

I used to use agar to make a sort of fruit jello. Loved it.

[@solipsist3949]

Fascinating and (as so often in our time) ultimately poignant. Many thanks to all contributors!

[@Nono-hk3is]

I've been in a small commercial kitchen when they made large batches of marshmallows using gelatin. It smelled so bad at those volumes.

[@jeffreybower]

Love your sunglasses.

[@melody3741]

Why do all pbs announcers have soothing yet happy voices. I listen to you guys just as asmr almost LOL Idc if the topic isn’t interesting its still a joy to watch This is also helped by great editing

[@robertdavenport6705]

And there is dulse from Grand Manan Island , New Brunswick , Canada. Accept no substitutes.

[@bunkertons]

I love agar!!! I use it as a gelatin replacement.

[@emveecee]

Fascinating!! Thanks!

[@courtlaw1]

Sea Weed is one of my favorite things to eat, You put it in anything for instant flavor.

[@peterawesomeness1]

I love agar as a gelatin replacement simply for the cruelty-free aspect. Although gelatin is a byproduct, buying it still supports the animal industry.

[@nycbearff]

Long ago there was a comfortable old restaurant on a side street in San Francisco's Chinatown which served "American" food, but mainly made with Chinese ingredients and techniques. Nearly all of their customers were Chinese or Chinese American locals, very few other San Franciscans or tourists knew it was there. I enjoyed all of their offerings, which looked more or less like their normal American diner counterparts - hamburgers, rolls, sandwiches, stews, hotcakes, etc - and tasted very different. But my favorite food was their orange pie. It looked sort of like a normal pie, but the crust was Chinese flaky desert pastry, and the filling was orange flavored (and colored) sweet agar. Very tasty, and completely different textures than I was used to - agar is brittle, it breaks easily, and it fragments into chunks as you push a fork into it, unlike things thickened or stiffened with gelatin or pectin. And that was my introduction to agar as human food, rather than just as a culture medium in labs.

[@ambgwin]

Love everything about this. Microbiology was my FAVORITE class in high school. I absolutely LOVE the smell of agar. The days we had to make new dishes or tubes for stabs were 🧑‍🍳 💋 *chefs kiss* Everyone else hated it but I LOVED it.

[@vladdevener5586]

Thats pretty freaking cool.

[@CynthiaDelFava]

Very interesting.

[@ginchanah]

to think that without research this would all not grow anymore in 50-100 years is so terrifying

[@winter_equinox]

Sue Bailey enters stage right, not stage left.

[@fassphoto]

Amazing video ❤❤❤

[@oppositeofh8]

wow, this was fantastic. thanks so much for the education! 😻😻😻😻😻 5/5

[@iadorexyou]

we use agar in dentistry too :)

[@elsievega6191]

super interesting

[@Infinitesimal-ho7it]

Seaweed babies swim?!

[@crimsonrose]

yep--unlike on land, plant pollen containing sperm or plant spores get blown around, its useful for seaweed spores to be able to swim to get places since they live in the water--lots of algae are motile

[@MandrakeFernflower]

They have Flagella like chytrid

[@alexritchie4586]

And who discovered that adding agar to ice-cream would keep it soft enough to serve without scooping? That's right, Margaret Thatcher (I'm not joking).

[@AJ-lu3wx]

Going to try some agar in my blended ice coffee drink to see if it keeps the ingredients for separating so fast.

[@prettypic444]

I think we all had a classmate in school who ate the science class agar on a dare...

[@corgeousgeorge]

I love this stuff.

[@xmagx]

Fantastic video

[@MountainRaven1960]

Poured uncountable numbers of nutrient agar plates, and many other types, in microbiology in my time.

[@solarmoth4628]

Agar-Agar is so useful for thickening things when cooking. I remember kind of eating to take a bite of lab experiments. Of course I never did, lab chemicals aren’t safe for consumption even if it’s technically edible. Don’t die for the forbidden snack.

[@josephle5373]

Awesome Video!

[@TheMidnightGoose]

I was so distracted when she left her chopsticks in the noodles after she set the bowl down 😅 You need to take them out and set them down neatly together!!!

[@calamityjane5698]

Are the seaweeds farmed that the agar is extracted from? What sea life depends on the seaweed for food? Are we depriving them of dinner?

[@stephsexoticpets]

LETS GO WOMAN SCIENTISTS!!!!! Also, love your glasses girly

[@afreespirit1]

Hi there, this is just so cool and I'm so glad watched! Great video but incomplete since it left off agarose gels used for electrophoresis in molecular biology labs. I studied phycology (the biology of algae) in graduate school which morphed into cell biology and molecular biology, so cool in more than one way.

[@froodishsixofthree]

ok but I need to know about that blush PLEASE what's the brand who sells it how much does it cost and what do i need to do for my own stick

[@trey5636]

I think its the milk makeup jelly blush!

[@MrKhankab]

Msg was found from seaweed soup

[@MacChew008]

Showing case Ladies, being pivotal in STEM, encourages the young ladies to embrace STEM. The World need more Scientist, more people in STEM.

[@rogerdudra178]

I've always marveled at stuff that could grow in salt water.

[@helpfulcommenter]

Does she have her own channel still?

[@JihouGijutsu]

Another pretty significant drawback with gelatin is that it needs living beings to be bred into existence for it.

[@arcadeunskilled]

Seaweed is a living being...

[@JihouGijutsu]

@@arcadeunskilled damn you got me! So let me clarify, it doesn’t need sentient animals. Good job!

[@Jszar]

@@JihouGijutsuOn the other hand, if people are going to eat meat anyway, it's proper not to waste any part of the animal. Factory farming is cruel and pretty awful for ecosystems, but we at least don't throw away the products of most of the lives we take.

[@JihouGijutsu]

@@Jszar sure less is more. But you only think about your feelings. You don’t think about theirs. Same thing is happening in Palestine. Same thing happened in the USA vs the indigenous.

[@Jszar]

@@JihouGijutsu That's a pretty big leap, to go from 'this person thinks that most humans will never fully give up eating meat' to 'this person has no care for the well-being of animals-or other people-and their innate desire to live'. Fun facts: * I used to be vegetarian. Then I developed gastrointestinal problems and was no longer able to sustain that diet. So now I try to eat as little meat as my body lets me get away with. I'd switch back if I could. * I happen to agree that the U.S. government's treatment of First Nations peoples was and is unconscionable. * I'm also one of those people wearing a "Jews Against Genocide" shirt, and griping to my elected representatives about the way the U.S. acts towards Israel. Bonus: * The long-standing Israeli prime minister was/is Trump before Trump, right down to clinging to office & struggling back into government to avoid corruption charges. (Unsurprisingly, the two have been personal friends for decades.) When he eventually falls, the Israeli electorate is out for his blood. I'll spare you the rest of my rant on this last point. Suffice to say that it's long.

[@fruitcup01]

Fun fact:. Some types of seaweed absorb iodine dissolved in the seawater, and a small amount is high in iodine. People and other life forms inland don't have high sources of iodine, some might not need ad much or any. I'm guessing the iodine can be ectracted and is valuable.

[@qtheplatypus]

MSG was discovered in a similar way.

[@windlessoriginals1150]

Another great episode. 🦠

[@tnfitzhugh4905]

Is there any value in harvesting the seaweed / algae over blooms that are practically destroying the beaches in places like Riviera Maya Mexico?

[@fruitcup01]

Maybe for animal food, farm fertilizer, and possibly oil.

[@lowrads3653]

Ya'll could do a video on the classic challenge of isolating and cultivating microbes when we don't know what their metabolic needs are.

[@AlexFoster2291]

Why did the editors decide it would be a good idea to include a useless shot of the host tying her hair up?

[@MarkBlance]

As a weird aside, and for future videos, the stage directions are from the actor's point of view. So @5:40 she was pointing to stage right.

[@Gandalf47]

Very cool.