American researchers recently confirmed the theory that red tide algae produced toxins more than 20 years ago. This discovery may provide some help for protecting shellfish, marine mammals and human beings in coastal areas from periodic red tide outbreaks.

Timothy jamison, an associate professor at MIT, published a paper in the latest issue of Science, saying that he and other researchers have successfully replicated a series of chemical reactions in which red tide algae produce toxins. 1985, chemists at Columbia University pointed out that red tide algae produced toxins through a series of chemical reactions. But for a long time, researchers have been unable to replicate such chemical reactions in the laboratory. Jamison said that he and Ivan Vilotijevic, a graduate student at MIT, have been able to start such a chemical reaction in the laboratory. One of the keys of the experiment is to carry out such a reaction in water.

Jamison speculated that the toxin-producing marine planktonic dinoflagellate (a marine unicellular organism that can cause red tides) triggered such a chemical reaction through an enzyme. Through chemical reaction, they can produce a chemical substance related to red tide toxin, called "Brevenal". But studies have also shown that this chemical can be used to treat cystic fibrosis.

Red tide is a natural phenomenon. When the temperature and salinity of seawater promote the excessive reproduction of some algae and plankton, seawater will change color and produce red tide. A considerable number of red tides are harmless, they will die, but some red tides are harmful.

1972 a large-scale red tide occurred on the east coast of the United States, which caused a large number of manatees in Florida to die.