Newly discovered marine compound is in a super-carbon-chain league of its own

An image showing a chemical structure

Isolated from algae, Benthol A has 35 stereocentres

Researchers in China and Hungary have discovered a new marine natural product with an unprecedented carbon skeleton and unusual structural features. The compound, which they’ve named benthol A, was isolated from unicellular algae known as dinoflagellates from the South China Sea.