Fucose

/ˈfjuːkoʊs/ noun

Definition

A simple six-carbon sugar (monosaccharide) found naturally in brown algae, seaweed, and some other organisms.

Etymology

From Latin fucus (seaweed) with the chemical suffix -ose, denoting a sugar. Isolated and named in the late 19th century when chemists began analyzing algae composition.

Kelly Says

Fucose is a weird sugar that shows up in unexpected places—not just seaweed but also in human blood types and cell membranes, suggesting a deep evolutionary connection between marine organisms and land animals going back hundreds of millions of years.

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