In the eighties, while NASA researchers were exploring the idea of using algae as a way to create oxygen in outer space through the process of photosynthesis, they found that certain types of algae contain a couple of essential fatty acids that are present in human breast milk — Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Arachidonic acid (ARA). They came up with two nutritional supplements, life’sDHA and life’sARA, and marketed them to food companies. The supplements are now used by the likes of General Mills, Yoplait and Odwalla and are found in about 90 per cent of all infant formulas in the United States.