It is a well-known fact that a war has been waged against plastic materials in the world, but this war has not been won. However, recent developments have revealed that a new era may have begun for the production of plastic materials. A group of scientists trying to produce plastic with alternative materials in China managed to produce a material very similar to plastic by using the sperm of salmon fish.
The environmentally friendly plastic, produced by Dayong Yang and Chinese scientists working at universities named Tianjin, was created by mixing two short DNA sequences found in salmon sperm with vegetable oil. Experts, who freeze-dry the soft material called hydrogel formed by this mixture, succeeded in producing a material that looks like plastic. Scientists who have produced DNA models, cups and puzzle pieces until now think that the plastic alternative they have developed is promising.
Plastic produced from sperm has an important flaw: It melts when wet.
Like the production of traditional plastic, it is also difficult to recycle. The most important feature of environmentally friendly plastic produced in China is its high solubility. Naturally produced material is easily destroyed in the natural environment. But this material has one significant flaw. So much so that contact with water brings the end of environmentally friendly plastic. The material that starts to melt becomes a hydrogel again. Experts state that this is not so important, that this plastic material can be used in products that should not come into contact with water.
Even if the research was carried out on salmon sperm; It is thought that this substance can also be produced from sperm belonging to different species. However, the work done at this point is not enough. According to scientists, there is 50 billion tons of DNA in the world, and DNA can technically be turned into plastic.