Wriggling critters armed with enzymes can break down plastics that would otherwise take decades, or even centuries to degrade.
At first glance there’s nothing particularly remarkable about waxworms. The larval form of wax moths, these pale wriggling grubs feed on the wax that bees use to make their honeycomb. For beekeepers, the pests are something to swiftly get rid of without a second thought.
But in 2017 molecular biologist Federica Bertocchini, who at the time was researching the embryonic development of vertebrates at the Spanish National Research Council, stumbled on a potentially game-changing discovery about these creatures.
Bertocchini, an amateur beekeeper, threw some of the waxworms in a plastic bag after cleaning her hive, and left them alone. A short time later, she noticed the worms had started producing small holes in the plastic, which begun degrading as soon as it touched the worms’ mouths.
This is hella cool, but I do want to say that it seems like there’s been a flood of news articles talking about how we’re sooooooo close to cracking plastic recycling and microplastics ever since the UN had that big push to try and regulate global plastic production. Seems like the industry is on a PR drive similar to the one for big carbon and oil; “no, you don’t need regulations, that’s ignorant, you’re being ignorant, a tech solution is just around the corner, we swear” etc. That’s primed me to view all “plastic solution” articles with more suspicion.
100% ! Similar to all those youtube celebrities promoting Ocean Clean Up projects but avoiding the fact that the only real solution is just stop producing unnecessary plastic trash. Also that instead of looking for donations, these projects should be paid by the companies that produced these plastics.
Maybe I’m missing where the article said it, but what does it break the plastic down into? That seems like it would be pretty critical information in terms of the utility here.
my guess is that something else will be able to unzip it and use it as an energy source
yep in the linked article it is mentioned that product is ethylene glycol
Mercury :)
/s
That’s pretty cool.
Just to be clear, I’m taking the piss.
ohhhh, and it’s your piss that produces the mercury? that is cool.
It’s pretty metal, too…
Anyone starting a pool on how long until something really likes eating plastic and we have to deal with infestations of those, like with termites and wood?
My bet is some scientist accidentally leaks plastic eating bacteria into the wild. Then rust, plastic rust, everywhere.
Scientist: It’s for the good of the planet! [releases plastic-eating bacteria into the wild]
[Later, in the smoldering ruins of a post-plastocalyptic future…]
Former Scientist Now Pottery Shard Crusher: Okay, maybe that was a mistake.
just wait until they develop a taste for the microplastics in our brains
Is anyone else’s tadpole squirming a lot more than usual?
Tsk’va!
