Manu Onrio

Okay, today my fact is seaweed bubbles could stop you getting pregnant.

I mean, that would also work.

No, so actually this is a semi-edible seaweed bubble and I brought an example for you to sample if you would like to.

Yes.

Yes, please.

I brought with me something called agar-agar jelly, which is what my Indonesian auntie used to make.

So it's a sweet coconutty dessert thing.

This one has been put in the fridge and it's made using a seaweed gelatin.

So it's vegan.

It's very squishy.

No pressure to eat it, but I mean, I think it's delicious.

Yeah, yeah.

James, you're not tempted.

It is very wibbly wobbly.

No.

Basically, agarose, the sugar derived from agar-agar, which is what we've just eaten, is used to make these special beads that can trick sperm into binding with them to kind of protect the eggs.

And this is all done in mice.

And what they did is they covered these beads in a protein called zonopelicida glycoprotein 2, or ZP2 for short.

And what this does is it tricks sperm into thinking that whatever it is, is the egg.

Because it's basically sending out signals being like, I'm an egg, I'm an egg.