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We all might be dead before it pays off, but on the upside this could lead organisms the world over to figure out how to deal with our plastics problem.
by tenkabuto 8y ago
We all might be dead before it pays off, but on the upside this could lead organisms the world over to figure out how to deal with our plastics problem.
- worldsayshi 8y agoIt feels like this development will eventually force us to "help evolution" in this regard and heavily invest in engineering plastic eating organisms that can sustainably live in the environment.
- carlmr 8y agoWe might not need to engineer them, they already evolved, and they might succeed us.
- oarsinsync 8y agoWikipedia suggests the first man-made plastics were made around 1856. I'm not sure 163 years is enough time for evolution to do it's thing.
- bluGill 8y agoFor bacteria that is more than 10000 generations.
- kamarg 8y agoFor microorganisms it's plenty of time. Things with very short reproductive cycles can evolve quicker than humans. In https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli_long-term_evolution_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli_long-term_evolution_ex... they state that the e. coli went through 66,000 generations in 28 years. That allows for a very large amount of genetic differences to respond to environmental pressures.
- fubar1983 8y agoIt already has: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideonella_sakaiensis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideonella_sakaiensis
- worldsayshi 8y agoSure they exist but we could and perhaps should make them more efficient?
- gtirloni 8y ago"Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/16/scientists-accidentally-create-mutant-enzyme-that-eats-plastic-bottles https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/16/scientis...
- ethagnawl 8y ago"The _planet_ is fine. The _people_ are fucked." - George Carlin