Scientists know how much you love bacon, discover seaweed that tastes like bacon

Heroic researchers from Ohio State University (OSU) have patented a new strain of seaweed they say tastes like bacon when it's cooked and is twice (twice!) as healthy as kale.

Shut up and take my money.

Nicknamed "dulse", the seaweed is a "succulent red marine algae" – which sounds totally gross but apparently tastes totally delicious.

Dulse grows naturally along the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines, and is usually harvested and sold for upwards of $240 per kilo for use as a nutritional supplement or in cooking. But Chris Langdon, a professor in the OSU department of Fisheries and Wildlife, has been growing a supercharged strain of the algae that looks like a kind of see-through red lettuce for the past 15 years.

Why are we only finding out about this now?!

The uber healthy bacon substitute sounds 100 percent guilt-free, and is described by researchers as being "an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants" – and it contains up to 16 percent protein in dry weight.

“The original goal was to create a super-food for abalone, because high-quality abalone is treasured, especially in Asia,” Langdon said in a press release.

“We were able to grow dulse-fed abalone at rates that exceeded those previously reported in the literature. There always has been an interest in growing dulse for human consumption, but we originally focused on using dulse as a food for abalone.”

While Langdon's colleagues are currently working on turning his relatively small-scale production of the miracle weed (he can grow up to 15kg per week in two large tanks in the university's labs) into a viable business , several Portland-area chefs are experimenting with using it in commercial kitchens.

Someone get Langdon a knighthood.