Bugs Across Globe Are Evolving to Eat Plastic, Study Finds

[babylonsister]

Bugs Across Globe Are Evolving to Eat Plastic, Study Finds
Surprising discovery shows scale of plastic pollution and reveals enzymes that could boost recycling.
The Guardian
Damian Carrington


Microbes in oceans and soils across the globe are evolving to eat plastic, according to a study.

The research scanned more than 200m genes found in DNA samples taken from the environment and found 30,000 different enzymes that could degrade 10 different types of plastic.

The study is the first large-scale global assessment of the plastic-degrading potential of bacteria and found that one in four of the organisms analysed carried a suitable enzyme. The researchers found that the number and type of enzymes they discovered matched the amount and type of plastic pollution in different locations.

The results “provide evidence of a measurable effect of plastic pollution on the global microbial ecology”, the scientists said.

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https://getpocket.com/explore/item/bugs-across-globe-are-evolving-to-eat-plastic-study-finds?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[a kennedy]

1. Shut up........bugs that eat plastic???? 😳 😳 😳

[tanyev]

2. Yay?

[murpheeslaw]

3. Unintended Consequences

I read a 1971 sci-fi novel “Mutant 59: the Plastic Eaters”. The bacteria became so strong it was eating the insulation on products in use. Toasters caught fire on the counter as the internal wiring was exposed and shorted; traffic lights ceased working; wiring insulation is consumed on airplanes shorting out controls; etc. . . .

[intrepidity]

6. This

Imagine what damage these critters will do in gen pop.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. I had read about this awhile ago

and it definitely offers some opportunities to find a way to harness that. There are a number of researchers who have been working on it from different perspectives - e.g., -https://www.reed.edu/reed-magazine/articles/2018/bacteria-eat-plastic.html

Some might remember similar mentioned about what was found during the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-microbes-helped-clean-bp-s-oil-spill/

[Takket]

5. that's good, right? LOL

question is, after they eat plastic, what are the pooping out back into the water?