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[-] wahming 19 points 2 years ago

I heard about the discovery of plastic eating bacteria years ago, and had always wondered why they weren't just spreading in nature and eating all the microplastics. This sheds a lot of light on current events in the field!

[-] kadu@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

Without artificial selection, the few bacteria capable of digesting some plastics only do so when it's the only source of carbon and energy. Plastics require expressing complex enzymes and the process is not efficient.

If you have literally any other sugar available in your environment, it's better to digest that instead. So they aren't out there absolutely massacring plastic waste, unless they happen to be in an environment where this is all that's left.

[-] rbos@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago

I wonder if they could be bred to be unable to directly metabolize sugar, or if that's a ridiculous thought.

[-] Daefsdeda@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 years ago

Easily. But then they would be outcompeted by bacteria that can.

[-] rbos@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

Unless they have a sole niche they alone can occupy, like prevalent plastic, maybe.

[-] CookieJarObserver@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 years ago

From what i know they are modified E. coli bacteria and where not released due to fears they would cause more problems than good in nature. Also they could potentially harm humans.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 years ago

Give them a few millenia

[-] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 years ago

That's how we got kudzu.

[-] bappity@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago

THROW THEM INTO THE OCEAN

[-] PRUSSIA_x86@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago

So this is how the grey goo starts.

[-] bar1@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

Nah, I think I already had that in my Big Mac.

[-] Fizz@lemmy.nz 5 points 2 years ago

Wow what an interesting answer hopeful article. 250kg of plastic recycling a day is impressive but it's still being made back into plastic and Oda thinks that we can fully reserve the cycle and recycle plastic back into natural material.

[-] ebenixo@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 years ago

then how will i get my daily dose of endocrine disruptors?

this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2023
103 points (98.1% liked)

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