Cyanobacteria is an ancient species living in the variety of water types. It also has a bad reputation because it induces eutrophication of water, causing "algae bloom". However, as everything has two sides, it will be effective to solve the cyanobacteria-related problems and turn Cyanobacteria into valuable resources by modern technology.

On May 20, 2010, Academician Jindong Zhao, director of the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was invited by BIOLS and gave a seminar titled by "Cyanobacteria genome, cell differentiation and it application on bio-fuel". Academician Jindong Zhao summarized the origin, evolution and characteristics of cyanobacteria, and then described his productive research on cyanobacteria genome, gene expression regulation, cell differentiation, signal transduction, molecular biology and photosynthesis. He further introduced the research breakthroughs about using cyanobacteria to make oil and cotton, revealing its great economic potential on bio-fuel and new materials, which also provide valuable insights on resolving the cyanobacteria-related problems on Taihu Lake and Dianchi Lake. Finally, he addressed the significance of combining personal interest and national demand on scientific research.

Audience showed great interest to the seminar and asked many creative questions, which were all explained by Academician Jindong Zhao.