Quick Fix: How invasive seaweed repairs its wounds
Rapid self-healing is critical to the invasiveness of an alien green alga that’s currently wreaking havoc in the Mediterranean Sea. Now, scientists have discerned the chemistry underlying this highly efficient repair process. That understanding may provide ideas for thwarting the seaweed’s relentless spread.
Frequently referred to as the “killer alga,” Caulerpa taxifolia is a bright-green, tropical seaweed with fernlike fronds. Each organism is a single cell that can reach several meters in length and contains many copies of its genetic material.