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[-] wahming 19 points 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year ago

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

[-] rbos@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

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

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 1 year ago

Give them a few millenia

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

That's how we got kudzu.

[-] bappity@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

THROW THEM INTO THE OCEAN

[-] PRUSSIA_x86@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

So this is how the grey goo starts.

[-] bar1@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

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

[-] Fizz@lemmy.nz 5 points 1 year 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 1 year 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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