Caves in this valley alone, and some 4000 in all of count abriya. One cave in particular, is of special interest to the german expedition team. The what they discover here is mind blowing. Me sure. Yeah. Like a toast. Binds organisms that bear witness to the very origins of life on earth, the kind of impoverished youve just found. A huge patch with one of the oldest sonya in effect, syria were aware of the big cats incredible. I have never seen anything like that. Its quite incredible. Im. Its a loss to what we fidget, clock about, right. Whats left him speech list is how these bacteria known colloquially as blue green algae can survive with so little light the noise on one hand, we really want to discover and isolate new sign and bacteria and to use them for the technological applications. At the same time thought when we have in such a marvelous habitat, the 1st question is naturally, how would they survive . So thats what were doing is were measuring photosynthesis with this device. But were also seeing to what extent theyve adapted to the light and how they utilize the unofficial parts for the Algae Researchers, this category and caves is a godsend. The only person might just the most in booking rock face. But for the biologists, its a window into a fascinating world. An extraordinary multi generational colony. Did you do some shopping . You can see these colorful surface here. These fluffy little gray green pads doesnt. Its visa, cyan or bacteria is good. So with these yellow ones here, these pink jelly light clogged. So striking the optic, thats the particular sy entered bacteria and were off the flow. We go back to us, clear, well talk each one of the oldest leading. So i entered bacteria and back to so its a very basic primitive cyan, a bacterium thats leaving here alongside more modern species of, of all the different li gimme theyre all living here in the colon included. This is like the misha lack of toast and Patrick Young are thrilled with the wealth of Research Material they found and excited about the new questions that arise from it, the best we know that they can survive without much lice 5, but we dont know exactly what the lower limit sees what about is also the question of how exactly this works in the low line situation. Weve been counted deeper inside the cave, so i entered bacteria population. There is different than that. If we found different species, a certain process is a different to you and or either. So the allergy here was quite class august responders and i can, yes, they can photo synthesizing the dog. Weve moved even further into the cave and despite the total darkness, find species of l. G. Living here to feel comfortable, you know, a 100 down and theres only 800000. The line from above can reach something as a volume for losses in the dog is a little they simply structure that physiology about that photo synthesis on the screen so they can use most certainly the visible light spectrum. But 1st industry, we switch the exciting of this and they may also be able to draw from further along the range of light and the random non or in the fall. Right. And for the so got was looking. Couldnt you understand that it was spanish biologist, antonio gibson, who 1st drew his german colleagues attention to the case and sent them samples. It was the beginning of a great friendship between the spanish and german Algae Researchers assigned to the he didnt have it even gumble and youll get tons of a new field for such. I find it very interesting in terms of the production and research of useful substances. Of materials, so it is not just the biological aspect which is already fascinating it and thats, but its also the Practical Application of something. You know, that really got to him. But i think in that regard and do the patrick and michaels ideas are in line with us a and i can other what . So if you think were happy to continue supporting them here on those. And were looking forward to working even more closely with the program most. But its not, it. Is that a, was a the, instead of you many that as the spanish biologist works for a company that wants to model Mars Missions here, theyve set up a space station of sorts. Deep within the cave. The Algae Research conducted by the german team could also be interesting permissions into space. Escape and come up if its time to take one those today that and if you had just a few minutes aligns perfectly with our original plan to draw on the potentially lease unexplored micro organisms or gap them all apparently capable of producing substances that have not yet been recess. Antibiotics for instance, at the moment. So these organizations are in fish competition with each other. So they put to you santibanez things sort of these, most of it didnt know, not incompetent yet. And today you was interested in it on a tv. I think like produce new tooth as a service, food for other organisms. So they could serve as food for us. Digital simply deal could all be possible. But english what, but understanding meant that the on both of us, it a change of scene. We had to the laboratory, a kaisers low tones, university of applied sciences, the perm, as ends campus, this home to the worlds the largest collection of terrestrial fiano bacteria, algae that live on the land, not in water. For study purposes there being cultivated and liquid, none the less over 350. 00 species from all over the world can be found here the march of this year or the im for example here your vice selected cox at the oaks is from the im talking to the union sent you the how guys here weve isolated mike a call us for it. Like how go from very hope thats a region. So then a completely new algo weve identified, even from sol involved and the optical stuff ill kill, attend the, to the country. What does that do . The, the kind of you have to what has a small red and a quite unusual that we dont know why its the einstein as researchers started the collection back in the 1950s, the algae from the spanish cave or the latest edition, and could one day help us face the Climate Crisis doesnt face it that by the kinds of iceberg companies, there were some of that kind of caught up in ice, for example. Cool how they behave like rebuilding carl. Im kind of producing a sort of truck. Hes kind of times he is one of our new projects here is to see whether we can use this as a submitted substitution as a cement, as a can be crossed. And um, yeah, 2 bucks. Thats a menu of all the samples we collected are in here. Do you think of some of them the german researchers are traveling the world on the hunt for new species of algae. They most recently spend 4 weeks in the ad, comma desert, and shell a while a whole spine. Its a cactus here, the other trend to police samples. Thats a special type of like, and it grows on the tips of the text i. Then it 1st is next page, assets are extreme locations. Its very hard and this little volta venue of the organisms can survive. The i can also withstand very high temperatures and by technological react, as, for example, on somebody 0. What template to an old on thats number one, number 2, and extreme habitats like that to organise you always find organisms that can do something very special stuff, such as producing special active substances except for adopting specific you metabolic pathways. Stuff like the big armstrong some l. G enter into symbiosis with fund guy in order to survive and extreme places forming legans. Patrick young. The found such l. G, fungus, symbiosis, in the out of comma, the fun. This becomes a kind of sunshade for the algae. Does is on the, on the, among other things, it also provides you the protection against the hush radiation one finds in the to come and visit the l g e and not mobile. They trumped in a stationary position and somehow have to protect themselves from the suns rays, which they cant avoid with the like and like this ones that task falls to the funds will pump know, demonstrate produces that and pigments in the case of these think shes those pigments that green is yellow in appearance or another key feature. The colonies survives on very little water. These are all properties that could come in very handy, say in the development of new products to reconvene. How can we turn organic waste into plastic abundance . Early march 2020 to the official launch of a Research Project called the waste to value the vision. At some point, l g will be grown directly on building facades and residents could benefit from the harvest. If bio plastics were able to thrive on such besides, it could also lead to growth and regional economies. All thanks to algae, green fuels could also be created using the same method. Research as being funded by the German Federal state of rhineland, polite, nate, they see it as an investment in the future and on the gift stuff on that. And those kind of hit us on, on the state level, Many Companies would benefit from becoming a little less dependent on Energy Supply as a product. Thats a significant consideration these days are no, wed also be making a contribution to climate protection from here in rhineland class and its reference i was kind of kind of to hold the German Federal ministry of education and research is also funding the project. Theyve granted 8000000 euros for the 1st 3 years. Several partners are working with the team from pam events, his shots unknown to get caught up with currently enjoying an initial spark of interest move just hoping to progress as far as possible with the companys findings, ultimately incrementing some of the only thing is weve been, were searching for yes. So on this one, got it under forced tom. Yeah. Mines of yes. Wonderful. Just great. Does the 2 researchers are unpacking a new piece of equipment. A photo bio reactor that it will allow them to grow algae that normally live on land in liquid and thereby control the way they reproduce says he sent me some documents on these items, the problem as well. Documents, i think ro, an a controlled amount of stuff. I dont know, log scale. This isnt that we can then control that grows here. And it kind of pre culture and transfer them into the loan to react with exact tooling. And soon analogy thats popular with biologists will be growing in this reactor as of some buyers for you. So this, for example, is the elaborate to buy a technologist working without doing anything with the system because the stairs, its used quite frequently and copes ideally, and conditions like past the due of 2 months. So once you see here, for example, each of the terrestrial out, can you write those internal stuff and score the multi cellular and thread like the little met, select is fill them in to you can see immediately they tend to clump together when you have to prevent that one with this mixing process. Yeah. Were curious to see how we sound. He grows and then then we have no experience with it yet. The, the, the other thats been fixed. So im on what kind of fondling you havent tried yet. Yeah. Thats a comp time is it . So well take a do in here. We dont even know yet we carry out as much fun. You want us to inspire, then we can move the the reactor is an important intermediate step towards producing larger quantities of bio plastics for Climate Friendly summit one day exist. So this isnt close that window seed ups is a big difference between trying to fools nature into the lab. Thats to say, conducting experiments on a Small Laboratory scale and being able to think on a larger industrial scale and couldnt, thats a whole lot of botox movies and hes a student on us not 100 percent. That took the longest, the least connection. Its modules the size of a window the researchers have already commissioned them. The idea is to grow algae on facade inside these photo by a reactors. If it works, the process could save a lot of waste and c o 2. There are other benefits as well. Some algy produced natural dies, some could end up on our plates and lots of now we have Solar Systems on the roof and future. We could also cover the east and west results with these al give reactors. Then even the collectors would regularly come by to help us to run up for the whole we to all of us, also food order cabins as the essence. Cuz a lot of research is still required, though space to the new Research Reactor will soon be housed in this former changing room. And well be back for a visit once the researchers have filled it with algae. For now, its back to spain. Misha locker towson, his spanish colleague, have descended deep into the canes and reached the mar station. The aim here is to replicate Living Conditions on the red planet. As realistically as possible, the one day l g might be able to help spaced pioneers survive on mars. The minds can cut so on about 10 not to go outside stuff up. So thats, thats a sign of x here you can say, can waste materials and waste water and extract the nutrients from having a very different lights, like we have a and then compare to you. So ill just put it in as i can, the volume of the c o 2 weeks hail to feed, creating oxygen and food at the same time. Oh no, no meant to put up some of the l. A. Probably among the best organisms for producing food in the space and can embed. Now lets see what the test ation in the spanish cave. The Company Hopes to approximate life on mars. Even if some martian conditions are impossible to reproduce, we cannot save abuse because id be willing to take a look on the, on the, i know sec by selling products. Okay. The young thing would be actually to be a month about taking advantage. Now were not the mice. Why dont we come made mistakes . Diana and i can stay on the bus to have him play the bid of some because i didnt read that can help us to somebody up there. Im gonna let me buy all a g as an important area of research for this 1st bound. Mars expedition and algae could play a key role here to the main line after psychology, engineering, of course, biology everything when it comes to a protocol for the searching for live on so long, i didnt new teams. And how come we want to be somebody that we need to research the piece, the end of the toner morris. You know, so everything that ive been to and so if i run techniques and your team for these you on a food unity. So all that stuff is marching face to put on the german researchers can hardly wait to find out more about the various ancient algae species theyve discovered in the case theyre collecting samples back at their Home Laboratory impairments ends. Theyll place them under the microscope for a closer look. And then uh, and then the one thing that will analyze the samples and then definitely take another look at that cheat. So we want to really see its not just one species or 2 or 3 that were probably managers in many different organisms living together have a little microcosm, so to speak in the hospital when thats what we want to find out about the need shuttle to do that when were carrying out genetic analysis to determine which organisms are living together here on this form, back to pair ms. Hence, the new Research Reactor is full of life in the form of ality. Now its hoped they will multiply and the researchers can grow various algae and the reactor unimportant step in cultivating alternatives to environmentally harmful plastic. Because the 4 types you up on this one of the crates, advantage of this out to put on a stock is that it can produce by testing. So that means if you give it, should that we should think, given the additional carbon sources and fixed costs to produce, put, to recast. Right . And thats the basic Building Block for a really crank plastic. Thats called p h b for sure, because fuel plastic is most by compatible and find degraded or combustible, is it used to sutures in medicine for example, see about its prevented from somebody to, to need to buy them to, to our bodies would probably cope much better with organic plastic in our food than with conventional plastic. Under the microscope, you can see the bio plastic that the algae forms as white dots. The, the moment kind of this of this, the problem of the moment going back level w w. S. Study here is the we ingest, around 100. 00 micro particles of mancha plastics with each meal, plastic. Oh, thats the equivalent and a 2000 pulse because a week or 5 grams each week. Um, thats the equivalents of the Credit Card Division in minor to take that means the toner of rich that everyone in the well theres every week is each a credit card with a plastic and it could be cards a cluster eventually the laboratories, Research Reactors will be replaced with these window modules, then every one can watch algae at work in their own window. The americans 1st, this is cooling called, so to speak, you know, but some of these, even much less voltage, just an aerosol sprite, 90 percent less small times. They have better gas exchange, the easier to harvest. And so thats what this is on us model. For growing side effects here we are in the future. In sort of 2 out of 10 not just dies, could be grown here and these beside windows or cosmetics or even food. I didnt you know the cussing somebody out even in china . No. Yes. As a traditional new yes dish. For instance, thats the most talk flag in the form of ill give its collected from the test that we can grow it here under these conditions and then set it where its like comp in crime and in the open liquid process on each box. And it will take some time before the 1st products made impairments ends come onto the market. We still have a few years to wait to for the 1st organic concrete produced with spanish cave algae use up to look. It says this block is now 1st prototype. Im about to t, we introduce the cyan and bacteria strain into the concrete in process of its not yet one from the cave, though. This is a low bar and treat Strain Energy about how we carry down south those preliminary tests with a test to see whether this process works with cyan or bacteria, or a tool in the loan. So we want to work with the cyan or bacteria from the case since they calcified naturally. We can then use the process for concrete productions in this way. The system can be another 2 to 4 years before weve optimized decision on the door. Just too soon to tell you guys were on the right track in our hot in the eiffel region. A Metal Construction company is building for large bio reactors. The window modules will be 2 meters 40 high one meter 42 across. Now the question is, which one goes with the both and then which at the top of this one here and that this l. G research are michelle lack of chose the seeing the modules for the 1st time today because audio, bennett is tight. Amazing. We need to really think, okay, that should have been roughly key, but then you see how big it is. In reality, i mentioned that weve never had before, and thats also really important. Those are for who is working on a larger scale. Use 100 milliliters by maybe 10 meters, is the largest size, but see in our 100 leads to prove us a whole lot of a story that were really getting into it now on the ground. This guy, i dont think me personally going, its going in close and steve the, the state of rhineland collab, nate is picking up the bill around 80000 bureaus to produce 4 modules. 3 actors can be set up in a laboratory. However, the researchers can also hang them on building facades and grow l g. There is nothing can put them right. Thats as far as i need to to comes in from the top. Im just just makes sense and then spread through the whole entire area on the when it trips down, its fed out going to the bottom and circulates back to the top of the down whole slide to see if we get them for the small metal and Steel Construction company, it was quite an order, not least because they had to procure acid resistance, stainless steel. But when i read the cool to attend isnt so bio reactive at 1st i wanted what it was. So is it something atomic . Thats what it sounds like. It 1st go in retrospect so it makes some the same thing going. I must say, i find what they doing. They have very interesting. Im a fan of the project is something for you. Im gonna find that to prevent the algae in the module from getting too much light for dying from overheating. Sun protection is built in the fact that it never disruption so high inside of the react to mustnt get too hard good because otherwise the out you would get to halt as well. And di, um yeah, thats why weve changed it from the sun 1st from above. And then again, from the side the event will hang cold by the recounts, and the cords that will sprang toward provide even more shade for the result. Is this, under course the 1st type of especially for them to act on. The algae and the reactors will soon be producing bio plastic and absorbing c o. 2 from the air. Theyll be hung on an actual facade and should guard for research purposes. Me say a lack of toast is convinced. L g reactors like this, have a great future ahead of them and will one day be part of every city escape. This is this moment tom view like photo more tight and then the web thoughts of all tags were in the 1970s. Weve developed it so just being a new craft quickly, we can actually get in to use those on houses in houses. Ultimately, thats up to the politicians inside of to put it. If they subsidize, it doesnt feel good will happen very quickly without the size of the world of cost. Well, thats certainly part of the mix forced time from feeling the for now the l. G researchers from parents and still have a lot of exploring to do in every corner of the planet. The simple solution for the deluca problem of plastic waste. The Twist Company mightve made a breakthrough with chemical recycling. It allows high quality plastic to be released from the dirty plastic waste. A recycling revolution. Tomorrow today, the next on d. W. The secret sly discovered new adventures in 362 unexplored, fascinating boats. Heritage dw world heritage. 360 now gets ready for an exciting and tell you to look surprised. Hi, i wish i am. I am ready to dive into the hands of human to you. Have you have a window to talk to me before you go to the boss and the im expected side to side this, the shadows these pod costs and video shed lights on the dog is devastating. Colonial harper is infected by germany across and he employed a score farms and destroyed lights. What is the legacy of this wide spread races, depression, today . History. We need to talk about here the stories, shadows of german colonialism. The micro plastics are everywhere there in our Drinking Water on our fields and in our blood. Theyve even been detected in clouds. And micro classics can contain talk, since its science long overlooked one source, car tires over half of the micro plastic in the environment comes from driving these and other highly toxic stories coming up on dw science show. Welcome to tomorrow. Today. Heres a dish that no one would consume willingly