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A Caterpillar May Lead To a 'Plastic Pollution' Solution (bbc.com)
New submitter FatdogHaiku quotes a report from BBC: Researchers at Cambridge University have discovered that the larvae of the moth, which eats wax in bee hives, can also degrade plastic. Experiments show the insect can break down the chemical bonds of plastic in a similar way to digesting beeswax. The plastic is used to make shopping bags and food packaging, among other things, but it can take hundreds of years to decompose completely. However, caterpillars of the moth (Galleria mellonella) can make holes in a plastic bag in under an hour. They think microbes in the caterpillar -- as well as the insect itself -- might play a role in breaking down plastic. If the chemical process can be identified, it could lead to a solution to managing plastic waste in the environment.
What could go wrong? - Louis Wu
What happens when this species is "accidentally" released near a plastic-lined holding pond for toxic waste?
Bacteria are already evolving that eat plastic. Create an opportunity for energy, and something quickly evolves to take advantage of it:
https://phys.org/news/2016-03-newly-bacteria-plastic-bottles.html
Evolution 101.
yeah. i got one of those, too.
I knew since the beginning that I never needed to care. Such is my belief in life and evolution.
I can say the same thing about CO2 emissions. There will be vegetation to clean it all up. All we have to do is cut trees and burry them deep, and plant new trees. Problem solved.
But won't we have to teach them to swim first?
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
All the previous posters joke about mutant moths and such. In reality no one wants to release these critters. They want to find out what the chemical process is and see if it can be replicated industrially and effeciently. If it works without massive energy input then it is a viable alternative to putting plastic in landfills.
Silence is a state of mime.
well since their chemical dissolves plastic..
anyways, it's probably not very practical to dump that chemical in large quantities into the sea unless you want some unforeseen consequences.
plenty of chemicals will break down the plastics anyways.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Unfortunately we're currently unburying and burning 400 years worth of old trees per year. Can't compensate for that by growing trees (one year's worth of trees per year). We're off by two orders of magnitude.
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
When can I get a fecal transplant containing bacterial such as this so I too can eat plastic? I would no longer feel so angered by delicious looking fake fruit.
But since there is no evolution it's a clear sign that god exists and that he just now so created that bacterium for ... reasons.
Stop asking weird questions and get on your knees, dammit!
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Well, right now we do have the very real problem that old ink contains acids that destroy the paper instead, so which one is worse? In the end, information gets lost.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Plastics aren't one substance - it is a description of a huge and diverse family of materials with some common features.
On one side they do not know how it works.
They think microbes in the caterpillar - as well as the insect itself - might play a role in breaking down plastic.
If the chemical process can be identified, it could lead to a solution to managing plastic waste in the environment.
On the other side they patent it
Dr Bombelli and colleague Federica Bertocchini of the Spanish National Research Council have patented the discovery.
I just hope the plastic doesn't fight back, leading to a plastic pollution solution retribution.
But then, maybe the caterpillars would adapt, leading to a plastic pollution solution retribution evolution.
But since there is no evolution it's a clear sign that god exists and that he just now so created that bacterium for ... reasons.
Creationists don't deny that evolution happens and that new characteristics can emerge due to natural selection. They just don't accept that this can lead to the emergence of new species. If you intend to convince anyone, you should at least take the time to understand their position, rather than just attacking strawmen.
It's all good and wonderful with these critters rapidly multiplying to eat all the plastic. Then it gets loose in food warehouses and grocery stores, either accidentally due to a population explosion or human caused terrorism, and the entire food supply chain collapses as a good number of food containers are breached and other harmful pests and pathogens get in.
Beware of Sales Reps bearing gifts.
Yes, yes, "micro evolution".
Guess what? "macro evolution" (aka "evolution") is just what they dubbed micro evolution plus lots and lots of time.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.