Algae

Hello from the water. I am the green, slippery stuff you might see in a pond. I can also be the colorful blanket that floats on the big ocean. I can be red, brown, or bright, bright green. I love to soak up the warm sun. I make the water feel silky and soft when you touch it. I am a tiny, tiny plant that lives in water all over the world. Do you know what I am? I am Algae. It is so nice to meet you.

I am super, super old. I have been around for billions of years, way before the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. A long, long time ago, I started doing a very important job. I used the bright sunlight to make my own food. While I munched on sunshine, I puffed out a special kind of air. This is the same air that you breathe. This special air made it possible for all the animals to one day live on our wonderful planet. For a long time, people just saw me as green water. But then, a curious man named Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, around the year 1674, used a special looking glass. It was called a microscope. He peeked at a tiny drop of water and gasped. He saw me. He saw a world of tiny, swimming, beautiful green shapes for the very first time.

Today, you can find me in so many surprising places. I am a super helper. I help make your ice cream smooth and creamy. A special kind of me is wrapped around your yummy sushi to hold it all together. Scientists are even learning how to use me to make fuel for cars and airplanes to help them go. I may be very small, but I am a mighty helper for our planet. I help clean the air, I am food for the fish, and I help you, too. Next time you see a green pond, you can give a little wave to me, your tiny friend Algae.