71–77 of 77 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wonder if CRISPR or similar could be used to knock out regular metabolism pathways. Seems like they'd be understood enough to do so effectively.
Once those microbes become efficient, say goodbye to specific plastics as a durable material for regular use. The microbes wouldn't know the difference between trash and in-use material.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Once those microbes become efficient, say goodbye to specific plastics as a durable material for regular use. The microbes wouldn't know the difference between trash and in-use material.
Unless the metabolic pathway requires some super-specific and limited resource, thus garbage facilities could supply the catalyst and the microbes would begin consuming the plastics. Essentially none would survive outside designated plastic eating situations. Until ... life finds a way ...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Once those microbes become efficient, say goodbye to specific plastics as a durable material for regular use. The microbes wouldn't know the difference between trash and in-use material.
Unless the metabolic pathway requires some super-specific and limited resource, thus garbage facilities could supply the catalyst and the microbes would begin consuming the plastics. Essentially none would survive outside designated plastic eating situations. Until ... life finds a way ...
In particular, a mutation that drops the need for catalyst turns out to be metabolically beneficial.
Is anyone else concerned about the effects this could have if it managed to get out of containment and into the wild? A self-replicating bacteria that eats plastics sounds like a potentially catastrophic event, considering how much we use them in day to day life.
Planet Earth had been evacuated, and all that was left was little robots. All of different types, performing different jobs, but with one major function: to rid the world of a microbe that turned all organic matter into crude oil. Initially this microbe was developed for plastics, but it got out of hand really quickly.
Now, given the world was entirely covered, clean up was an impossible task, so most of the robots just gave up and "zenned out." They'd go into an infinite loop of impossibility and stay there. Our robots were a bit different and instead decided to just pretend to work.
Eventually a catastrophic change happened wherin a small comet hit the Earth. Then growing from that point, all of the sludge began to crystalize. These crystals grew like plague, so any robot that became even an little bit glinty was sure to be a goner soon.
The story ended with all our robots dying, having learned that humanity had sent the crystalizing thing, but also having seen greenery grow once again where the crystals had cleaned up.
We need plastics. Durable, rot-resistant, waterproof, light, strong, malleable, easy to cast into different shapes.
But we as a species do not reuse and recycle enough, and even throw plastics into the ocean or into compost bins.
How about we get to the root of the problem, instead of apply bandaid atop of bandaid?
Reduce, reuse, recycle. Repair, repurpose, reclaim (put money into cleaning up our oceans?), rethink (do we need individually wrapped produce?) etc.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wonder if CRISPR or similar could be used to knock out regular metabolism pathways. Seems like they'd be understood enough to do so effectively.
Once those microbes become efficient, say goodbye to specific plastics as a durable material for regular use. The microbes wouldn't know the difference between trash and in-use material.
I'm not too worried about PE, PET, PU, or nylon "rotting"
"There's a bacteria for that..."
Perhaps Marc Andreessen should have said "Bacteria are eating the world" (quite literally!) -- instead of "software"...
In the next century, things very well might be that way!