Let's Start The Museum of Microalgae

Help us build a Museum of Microalgae (MoMa) in service of a healthier planet.

Your contribution makes microalgal science, art, and inspiration available to everyone for free through hands-on activities, immersive experiences, and rich media.

Your contribution goes towards exhibits, venues, supplies transportation, and other infrastructure.

The story of MoMa starts with the story of microalgae. . .

A long, long time ago, the world was a desolate, horrifying, atmosphereless, caustic, chemical-soup-pot.* Then, 3.4 billion years ago, some wild microbial upstarts decided to start eating sunlight and farting oxygen. Eating and farting enough that they grew earth’s breathable atmosphere - a helpful thing for, like, most of the life on earth that we know and love. Including us.

Since then a few things happened. Plants, dinosaurs, Taylor Swift. But one thing never changed; microalgae kept doing their thing.

Giving us over half of earth's breathable air.

Yes. You read that right. If it weren't for these little monsters, you'd be toast.

Feeding the oceans.

Making clouds. . . and mountains.

We’re talking about a biological force with planetary impact which we completely overlook because they’re microscopic.

They’re wildly diverse in their biology, ecology, structures, and functions.

You can find microalgae in your food, your clothes, the fuel in your car, your cosmetics, even your toothpaste.

Microalgae hold enormous promise in our collective shift from doing a crap job of running the planet to being more conscious and responsible about it.

And still, most people aren’t even aware that microalgae exist to begin with, let alone how awesome they are, but as soon as you really start to see them, the inspiration, curiosity, and wonder are guaranteed. Each one a tiny marvel - jewels of life!

So a whole bunch of us are coming together to make the first ever Museum of Microalgae (MoMa) in history!**

We’ve got an incredible team of brilliant, passionate people collaborating on a creative portal to welcome one and all into this powerful, fascinating, and breathtakingly beautiful dimension that’s hidden all around us.

We’re kicking things off this Friday from 10-4pm at the Glasgow Botanic Garden and we would love your help!

*Sorry Archaea, history is written by the winners

**Unless, of course, you count the world itself, which is already a very active, colossal museum of microalgae, as it has been for billions of years.