<
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/plastic-eating-fungi-bacteria-ocean-pollution-b2593745.html>
"Scientists in Germany have identified a type of fungi that is capable of
breaking down synthetic plastics, offering a potential new weapon in the global
fight against plastic pollution.
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.
While this is a promising breakthrough, especially when it comes to tackling
oceanic plastic pollution, experts cautioned that it is not a silver bullet.
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 utilise 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."
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/ritual-technology/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
