Scientists have discovered fungus that can eat plastics in bodies of water, without needing any other food source, reports The Independent:
A team at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin found that certain microfungi can survive exclusively on plastics, degrading them into simpler forms.…
Researchers observed that microfungi in Lake Stechlin in northeastern Germany can thrive on synthetic polymers without any other carbon source. ‘The most surprising finding of our work is that our fungi could exclusively grow on some of the synthetic polymers and even form biomass,’ Hans-Peter Grossart, the lead researcher, told Reuters.
This ability to utilize plastic as their sole food source allows the Stechlin fungi to degrade plastic more efficiently compared to other organisms that might need additional nutrients or carbon sources.
Researchers said the fungi’s ability to break down plastic may have evolved in response to the overwhelming presence of the synthetic material in their environment….Four of the 18 fungal strains studied by the Leibniz Institute team are particularly “hungry”, which means they can efficiently utilize plastics, especially polyurethane…They are less efficient in breaking down polyethylene, commonly used in plastic bags.
Plastic-choked rivers in Ecuador are being cleared using a system of conveyor belts that collect up to 80 tons of trash per day.
Robot boats have begun to clean up Asia’s rivers and coasts, which contain lots of plastic trash. German robots are hunting the North Sea for tens of thousands of unexploded World War II bombs found in the North Sea.
Researchers discovered that an enzyme found in laundry detergent can recycle single-use plastics.
A sea lion was rescued from a plastic death trap in Russia’s far east.
In other news, a plant virus may save crops from root-eating pests. A virus is being used to cure deafness in new gene therapy. A mutant tomato could save harvests around the world. Farmers have found they can increase crop yields by using electrical stimulation on their crops. Scientists recently engineered bionic silkworms that spin fibers six times stronger than Kevlar.
