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Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

phys.org

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Re: Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

#61

Post by mhb »

Raphmedia wrote: post #52
Clanan wrote: post #16

"A chance discovery occurred when one of the scientific team, Federica Bertocchini, an amateur beekeeper, was removing the parasitic pests from the honeycombs in her hives. The worms were temporarily kept in a typical plastic shopping bag that became riddled with holes." What a great accident.

As any reptile owner will tell you, wax worms will eat through plastic containers so you should store them in glass. It's common knowledge. It is however amazing that nobody (me included) never thought that this could be a solution to our plastic issues. "It's common knowledge, why waste time thinking about it?"

Also, the really clever part was suspecting and then testing that the plastic isn't just mechanically broken down.

Re: Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

#62

Post by giarc »

Arizhel wrote: post #22
giarc wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting... is this why I've never heard any issues with the amount of windshield washer fluid that is used? I got through many litres every winter.

Probably. The primary complaint I've heard about ethylene glycol is that it smells sweet and it's poisonous, so it attracts animals (esp. dogs and cats) and kills them. It's not highly concentrated in windshield washer fluid, but it is in engine coolant, so sometimes people would leave it out and their dog would drink it and die (and the death was awful IIRC due to the way the poison worked). Years ago, there were so…

I knew about the poisonous aspects, but wasn't sure about the environmental concerns.

I've read that if your dog (or child etc) does drink antifreeze or washer fluid, you are supposed to give them vodka as you rush them to the hospital. It will stop the effects of ethylene glycol (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol_poisoning under Antidote section)

Re: Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

#64

Post by mynameisvlad »

jacquesm wrote: post #45
smueller1234 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe the antithesis to the discovery of antibiotics is the mostly accidental discovery of Tabun: "In January 1937, Schrader observed the effects of nerve agents on human beings first-hand when a drop of tabun spilled onto a lab bench." (Wikipedia) I think that one might stand out somewhat since I'd expect most accidental advances to be helpful to humanity. Or maybe I'm just an optimist. :)

Scientists that voluntarily work to bring such stuff in the world are amongst the people I least respect. It's one thing to be dumb, quite another to be extraordinarily gifted and to use that gift to do something which has no upside at all and plenty of downside. Exposing them to their own creations would be poetic justice.

I mean, it's not like they're going into it knowing they're about to create a nerve agent. It even says in the history for Tabun on Wikipedia [0] that it was initially meant to be an insecticide. Sarin was similarly created as a way to find stronger pesticides, and IIRC so was Zyklon B, used in the holocaust.

So some of these scientists may not have known what their creations were going to be used for.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabun_(nerve_agent)

Re: Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

#65

Post by goatlover »

tuna-piano wrote: post #49
fenwick67 wrote: post #44

I am skeptical that any sort of bacteria/insect based plastic decomposition project will address the problems with plastic waste. The biggest problem with plastic is not with the products that make it into the landfill, where bacteria could be used. The problem is with what happens when they don't make it into a landfill, and they end up as basically permanent pollutants in the water.

I, for one, have never understood the problem with landfills. There's tons of unused space left, and landfills take up a tiny fraction of that. Who cares if we make a trash hill somewhere and styrofoam sits there for a million years?

The bigger problem is everything that doesn't make it into the landfill, particularly the plastics that get into the water. The oceans have tons of plastic breaking down into smaller pieces that fish and birds and eat.

Re: Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

#66

Post by Neliquat »

mod wrote: post #53
tuna-piano wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I, for one, have never understood the problem with landfills. There's tons of unused space left, and landfills take up a tiny fraction of that. Who cares if we make a trash hill somewhere and styrofoam sits there for a million years?

One of the better solutions, but nobody wants a landfill near them. They're disgusting.

Visit one sometime, they are quite clean actually.

Re: Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

#67

Post by aw3c2 »

leoreeves wrote: post #17
sosuke wrote: post #9

"To confirm it wasn't just the chewing mechanism of the caterpillars degrading the plastic, the team mashed up some of the worms and smeared them on polyethylene bags, with similar results." A disturbing but effective way to test the hypothesis.

Yeah, pretty horrible.

Ever killed a fly because it annoyed you? This is not much different. In fact, this was done for science.

Re: Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

#68

Post by jacquesm »

mynameisvlad wrote: post #64
jacquesm wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Scientists that voluntarily work to bring such stuff in the world are amongst the people I least respect. It's one thing to be dumb, quite another to be extraordinarily gifted and to use that gift to do something which has no upside at all and plenty of downside. Exposing them to their own creations would be poetic justice.

I mean, it's not like they're going into it knowing they're about to create a nerve agent. It even says in the history for Tabun on Wikipedia [0] that it was initially meant to be an insecticide. Sarin was similarly created as a way to find stronger pesticides, and IIRC so was Zyklon B, used in the holocaust. So some of these scientists may not have known what their creations were going to be used for. [0]: https://e…

After making a demonstration to the army and being set up with a lab by the army and being asked specifically to weaponize your research (and fill projectiles with it) I don't think there should be any 'we didn't know' excuses.

It's pretty clear that even if insecticide was the beginning there was a pretty clear point in time where it was obvious that this had nothing to do with insects any longer.

Re: Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

#69

Post by graphitezepp »

mod wrote: post #53
tuna-piano wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I, for one, have never understood the problem with landfills. There's tons of unused space left, and landfills take up a tiny fraction of that. Who cares if we make a trash hill somewhere and styrofoam sits there for a million years?

One of the better solutions, but nobody wants a landfill near them. They're disgusting.

Decent number of golf courses got built over landfills. Don't have to be disgusting when we are done filling.

Re: Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

#70

Post by mynameisvlad »

jacquesm wrote: post #68
mynameisvlad wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, it's not like they're going into it knowing they're about to create a nerve agent. It even says in the history for Tabun on Wikipedia [0] that it was initially meant to be an insecticide. Sarin was similarly created as a way to find stronger pesticides, and IIRC so was Zyklon B, used in the holocaust. So some of these scientists may not have known what their creations were going to be used for. [0]: https://e…

After making a demonstration to the army and being set up with a lab by the army and being asked specifically to weaponize your research (and fill projectiles with it) I don't think there should be any 'we didn't know' excuses. It's pretty clear that even if insecticide was the beginning there was a pretty clear point in time where it was obvious that this had nothing to do with insects any longer.

And at that point what are they going to do? Say no?

Okay, then they'll get someone else to take your work and weaponize it. The bulk of the work would have already been done by then, which is synthesizing the chemical and showing its effects on people.

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