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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
by Supermancho 7y ago
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.
- GenerocUsername 7y agoUnless 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 ...
- elcritch 7y agoGiven that this pathway is inefficient and plastics aren’t an inefficient food mechanism it seems likely even without a specific limiter it’d be hard for the bacteria to spread widely. Similar to the bacteria that termites host which decompose cellulose. But then again maybe plastic eating termites would co-evolve with such a bacteria. That’s creepy to think about. “My tv got eaten by plastic termites”... As you say life often finds a way.
- TeMPOraL 7y ago> Until ... life finds a way ... In particular, a mutation that drops the need for catalyst turns out to be metabolically beneficial.
- mr-ron 7y agoPretty sure they alude to that in Ringworld
- kortex 7y agoPlastics are very chemically difficult to degrade. The nearest biological polymer is probably lignin, and even though it's part of a very porous matrix, it still takes years to break down. I'm not too worried about PE, PET, PU, or nylon "rotting"