Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
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Re: Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
#2While its undeniably sad that we litter so much in our environment - its very very cool that nature is adapting in the way it is to our dirty habits - in the same vein I'm expecting a species of something will evolve to eat and biodegrade plastics, rubbers and other similar materials.
Re: Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
#3Very interesting! and answers some questions in previous bee-centric discussions re: wild bees.
Re: Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
#4[deleted]
Re: Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
#5While its undeniably sad that we litter so much in our environment - its very very cool that nature is adapting in the way it is to our dirty habits - in the same vein I'm expecting a species of something will evolve to eat and biodegrade plastics, rubbers and other similar materials.
Actually one of my favorite examples of evolution in action are nylon eating bacteria, which evolved the capabilty to catalyze nylon for energy in a lake that was heavily contaminated by nylon production in the 1930s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nylon-eating_bacteria
Re: Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
#6Cue George Carlin quote in 3... 2...
Re: Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
#7This isn't recycling, though. The bees are using the material, not recycling it.
Re: Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
#8Cue George Carlin quote in 3... 2...
How about a remix by melodysheep (John Boswell) instead? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FFgVayrWjs
Re: Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
#9This isn't recycling, though. The bees are using the material, not recycling it.
If a human uses wasted plastic is called recycling, don't know what would it be any different for bees.
Re: Wild bees are recycling plastic, study finds (2014)
#10This opens an interesting question, what if we could slightly modify plastic to make it more useful to other species, maybe beavers, maybe bees, maybe ants, maybe woodpeckers, maybe there is an specific trait that one (or many) of this kind of animals seek for when using materials (or eating)