Have you ever heard about Fanny Angelina Hesse (1850-1934)? This German-American woman had the brilliant idea to use agar to grow microbes in the early 1880s. Agar or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae. Nowadays often used as replacement of gelatin in vegetarian desserts. Since the 1880s though, agar (and the derivative, agarose) has als well found its way in virtually every laboratory in the life sciences. Sadly, still too few people have ever heard about her. Dr. Corrado Nai, a fantastic team of scientists and artists are sharing her story through a graphic novel. What makes this graphic novel truly unique? It is based on newly emerged genuine historical material about Mrs Hesse.

 

Learn more about the project on their new website: https://fanny-hesse-graphic-novel.site/ 

Find more information on Kickstarter, where the team ran a successful campaign in 2024: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jens-notroff/the-dessert-that-changed-the-world/ (donations are still possible)

 

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