Here’s a thing I often think about.Somewhen long, long time ago trees existed, but there were no microorganisms or fungi which could break apart wood, so for some 60 millions of years land was littered with unrotten trees.Until these microorganisms and fungi came into existence and started to feast. That event made wood a perishable material, and people now have to treat wood in different ways in order to show down its decay.Currently, humanity relies on plastics. And one large advantage of plastics is that they are, well, effectively non perishable. At the same time, humanity actively creates microorganisms that would be able to do what nature learned to do to wood.If Michael Crichton taught us anything, it’s the impossibility of containing such organisms in the lab. So I think it’s fairly reasonable to say that humanity will face with natural plastic rot within the next hundred years.Am I mad?Can you imagine challenges that will bring? Think checking every plastic bit of an airplane? A car? A ship?
I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Plastic already degrades to a point of not being useful - it just sticks around in a way that is harmful.
Sunlight does a number on it, and it’s not very abrasion resistant. It’s also not great at weight bearing. We’ll be ok, and if anything, better off if something breaks down plastic (as long as the byproduct excreted isn’t just as bad or worse).
We used other stuff before we had plastic and material science is still evolving. Latex glove and condoms still works. And stuff made from hard plastic could be made from metals, or some form of resin instead. Hell we didn’t stop using wood we learned to treat it to be more resistant.
Plus we have an issue of plastic everywhere. Maybe in the future it would be interesting to avoid using material that get everywhere and can’t be recycled.
It probably only eats a specific type of plastic.
There are tons of different plastics all formulated differently, some could be toxic to the bacteria.
Reposting my old comment
Here’s a thing I often think about.Somewhen long, long time ago trees existed, but there were no microorganisms or fungi which could break apart wood, so for some 60 millions of years land was littered with unrotten trees.Until these microorganisms and fungi came into existence and started to feast. That event made wood a perishable material, and people now have to treat wood in different ways in order to show down its decay.Currently, humanity relies on plastics. And one large advantage of plastics is that they are, well, effectively non perishable. At the same time, humanity actively creates microorganisms that would be able to do what nature learned to do to wood.If Michael Crichton taught us anything, it’s the impossibility of containing such organisms in the lab. So I think it’s fairly reasonable to say that humanity will face with natural plastic rot within the next hundred years.Am I mad?Can you imagine challenges that will bring? Think checking every plastic bit of an airplane? A car? A ship?
I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Plastic already degrades to a point of not being useful - it just sticks around in a way that is harmful.
Sunlight does a number on it, and it’s not very abrasion resistant. It’s also not great at weight bearing. We’ll be ok, and if anything, better off if something breaks down plastic (as long as the byproduct excreted isn’t just as bad or worse).
We used other stuff before we had plastic and material science is still evolving. Latex glove and condoms still works. And stuff made from hard plastic could be made from metals, or some form of resin instead. Hell we didn’t stop using wood we learned to treat it to be more resistant.
Plus we have an issue of plastic everywhere. Maybe in the future it would be interesting to avoid using material that get everywhere and can’t be recycled.
It probably only eats a specific type of plastic. There are tons of different plastics all formulated differently, some could be toxic to the bacteria.
Agree, but also the nature will find the way 🥰