Nori

Nori is the red alga that wraps sushi. It's one of the most valuable aquaculture crops globally, with Japan, China, and Korea producing billions of sheets annually. For centuries, nori cultivation was unreliable until British phycologist Kathleen Drew-Baker discovered its complex life cycle in 1949 - a breakthrough so important that she's honored with a statue in Japan.

Nori demonstrates how basic research unlocks industry. Drew-Baker's discovery of nori's microscopic life stage (which farmers didn't know existed) transformed an unreliable wild harvest into predictable cultivation. The business parallel is foundational research that enables entirely new industries - often decades before commercial application.