Back in 2008, Dr Selvarani Elahi was caring for her newborn daughter while growing horrified about the scandal of melamine-tainted infant formula in China. At least six babies died from kidney damage linked to the chemical.
Additional reporting by Helen Briggs
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By WWII, scientists had already begun looking at alternative gelling substances for routine use in bacteriology, but concluded that agar was still better as it is both firmer and easier to handle. Today, some specialized microbiology applications use the colloid carrageenan (extracted from red seaweed Chondrus crispus, or “Irish Moss”), a more transparent and less auto-fluorescent alternative to agar (agar emits its own background fluorescence when excited by light). However, for routine bacteriological use, carrageenan is more difficult to dissolve, requires higher concentrations, can degrade at high temperatures, and forms weaker gels, which may result in puncturing its surface during the plating of cells.
圖像來源，AFP via Getty Images