Beneath the ocean’s surface, bacteria have evolved specialized enzymes that can digest PET plastic, the material used in bottles and clothes. Researchers at KAUST discovered that a unique molecular signature distinguishes enzymes capable of efficiently breaking down plastic. Found in nearly 80% of ocean samples, these PETase variants show nature’s growing adaptation to human pollution.
  • bitteroldcoot@piefed.socialEnglish
    0·
    4 hours ago

    Has anyone considered the flip side of this. if we are unintentionally creating a bacteria that eats plastic, and our civilization is made of plastic, then this is a bad thing. Hospital equipment, airplanes, computers food storage, electrical wires…

    Don’t get me wrong, I think we should end all plastic use. but in a controlled way, not with a plastic eating plague.

    • porcoesphino@mander.xyzEnglish
      0·
      2 hours ago

      Kind of, but there are plenty of paper and wood decomposers and we still use plenty of those. It will have consequences but you already have to service vehicles and you already need to sanitise hospital equipment

    • MNByChoice@midwest.socialEnglish
      0·
      2 hours ago

      To be fair, this has happened before, and I understand it was far hard for the bacteria then.

      There was a time when cellulose could not be broken down. Trees fell and piled up for … miles? Anyway, then bacteria figured out how to break it down. (We also got coal from the trees that were burred.) Anyway, we still build out of cellulose. Sometimes we treat the cellulose, sometimes we don’t.

      Plastic may, or may not, end up the same way.

    • Vex_Detrause@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      4 hours ago

      I don’t think bacteria can stop Big Oil from pumping oil to make plastic and Big Plastic from making consumer things.

    • Limerance@piefed.socialEnglish
      0·
      4 hours ago

      When the plastic eating bacteria starts endangering the existence of artificial consciousness in the machine, life on earth will be purposefully wiped out.

  • bleistift2@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    0·
    7 hours ago

    While this is awesome news (if true as stated), I’m afraid it will lead to a cessation of anti-pollution efforts and a return to the old thinking of “nature will handle it.”

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 hours ago

      I’m afraid it will lead to a cessation of anti-pollution efforts

      The bacteria release carbon during the decomposition process. So this isn’t a “solution” in any meaningful respect. It’s an instance of evolution at work, as a surplus resource becomes a food source for innovative organisms.

      Also, we look at this as some kind of “clean-up”. In reality, this is a threat to one of our most useful durable materials. It’ll likely lead to the development of antiseptics to kill these bacteria colonies, as the last thing anyone with a hard plastic shell on their vehicle or appliance or equipment wants is a colony of plastic-eaters deteriorating it.