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Genetically modified bacteria break down plastics in saltwater (www.sciencedaily.com)

submitted 2 years ago by Bebo@sffa.community to c/science

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To address this challenge, the researchers worked with two species of bacteria. The first bacterium, Vibrio natriegens, thrives in saltwater and is remarkable -- in part -- because it reproduces very quickly. The second bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis, is remarkable because it produces enzymes that allow it to break down PET and eat it.

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[–] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 years ago

"remarkable ... because it reproduces very quickly" + "remarkable because it produces enzymes that allow it to break down PET and eat it" + civilization that's literally built on top of PET = No Way This Can Go Wrong.

[–] itsonlygeorge@reddthat.com 2 points 2 years ago

So I guess we’ll need new antibacterial chemicals to keep our plastic from rotting/getting eaten by gmo bacteria.