Causes such as climate change and human activities continue to seriously threaten the future of our planet. For this reason, the necessity of taking steps for a more sustainable future is emphasized by scientists. For example, we shared with you last week that it was announced that it would be possible to produce wood in a laboratory environment.
Of course, one of the things that drags our planet into a terrible future is plastic. This type of waste causes the extinction of living things and harms the environment in the long run. Now, the news has revealed that a living thing can be used against the plastic problem.
It was discovered that super worms can survive by eating plastic
Scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia, ‘Zophoas morio’, also known as ‘super worm’ He discovered that a creature named can survive by consuming plastic. In the statements made, it was stated that this creature is thought to be able to digest plastic through an intestinal enzyme.
Scientists working on the creature, also known as the Morio worm, fed the worms with different foods for three weeks. In the results, it was observed that even a creature that consumed the widely used polystyrene gained weight. Co-author of the study, Dr. Chris Rinkle also stated in his statements that this development could be important for recycling: “Super worms can act as a mini recycling facility”
According to the statements, experts hope to determine which enzyme is most effective on plastic. Thus, it is stated that it can be reproduced on a suitable scale for recycling and used against plastics that cause great harm to our planet. It is also emphasized that the research is very important for understanding at the molecular level how the intestinal bacteria of superworms do this and can be used in the production of bioplastics.
Said research was published in Microbial Genomics.
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