4 ms·
What pathogens? If you have microbes that can use the plastic as a carbon source, they have a competitive advantage and will out-compete anything else. Look u
by iso1337 8y ago
What pathogens? If you have microbes that can use the plastic as a carbon source, they have a competitive advantage and will out-compete anything else.
Look up how ethanol fermentation is done -- it's actually not that sterile. The yeast secrete alcohol that effectively kills off competitors. A similar effect has been taken advantage of by engineering some yeasts to consume an unnatural source of phosphorus (phosphite).
So if you were to evolve a microbe that can eat certain types of plastic, it would readily outcompete everything else.
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6299/583 http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6299/583
- Nasrudith 8y agoPathogens is used as an abbreviation for harmful bacteria/virus/fungus that are meant to be kept out by the plastic. Good point that the process may be less than friendly to other pathogens that could be let in - after its gone may be an issue but hopefully it would be "tamper-evident". Although even if the bacteria itself is innocuous the byproducts may be less than healthy - alcohol isn't exactly great for humans although it is widely enjoyed and well botulism is far worse and I expect half-digested plastics to be less than healthy even if they are chemically inert.