4 ms·

"might kill us, but then new creatures will evolve and grow, with plastic being part of their ecosystem, perhaps even desirable." Is that possible? As far as I

"might kill us, but then new creatures will evolve and grow, with plastic being part of their ecosystem, perhaps even desirable." Is that possible? As far as I know nothing consumes rocks and they've been around forever.

jaggirs 4y ago
Unlike rocks, plastic is high in energy (as evidenced by the fact that you can put it on fire).
- salamo 4y ago
  Sure, but petroleum is also high in energy. There are even some bacteria that consume it. Yet petroleum is still available in huge deposits.
  - kevviiinn 4y ago
    Deposits are the key, it generally isn't readily available on the surface where most of the living organisms are
SideburnsOfDoom 4y ago
> Is that possible? As far as I know nothing consumes rocks and they've been around forever. Can you burn rocks? No. Can you burn plastics? Generally yes. Therefor there is useful energy to be extracted from plastics. NB, the quote was " part of their ecosystem" not "consumes". Molluscs, corals and diatoms construct out of rock-like materials, so making minerals part of their ecosystem is a thing.
andrewflnr 4y ago
I think lichens break down rocks. I know there are some microbes that do it.
jhbadger 4y ago
There are already bacteria that eat (some) plastics. Plastics, unlike rocks, are basically just hydrocarbons, not that different from sugars and starches and quite digestible if you have the right enzymes. Whether or not animals could evolve to do it is another story, though.
ogig 4y ago
I've been in a huge magnesite mine, tens of km of underground corridors, with big cathedral like spaces bored in a mountain. The biggest use for all this rocks is feeding meat producing cows with supplement minerals. So, yes, we all eat rocks.
sva_ 4y ago
> As far as I know nothing consumes rocks Rocks do turn into soil which is then the basis for stuff to grow on it.
- themitigating 4y ago
  Through acidic chemicals released by plants they are not consumed
  - hinkley 4y ago
    Consumed for minerals, not for consuming high energy chemical bonds.
phistep 4y ago
Already happening. See https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aad6359 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aad6359
scotty79 4y ago
For something to be consumed it needs to have energy surplus. Plastics have plenty, you could just set fire to them to combine them with oxygen to get it. They only obstacle is to figure out set of enzymes that can do the burning in controleed manners. Life is very good at figuring that stuff out, it just takes time. Rocks pretty much don't burn. Although I wouldn't be surprised if in water environments there are some organisms that can utilize some rocks in their metabolism. It's just that rocks are pretty much useless on the surface that's why nothing eats them here. Similarly with coal underground. In airless environment coal is just rock. If there was plenty of it on the surface something would metabolise it for energy. I think coal from burnt forest doesn't just remain on the ground. Something probably eats it.

jaggirs 4y ago

Unlike rocks, plastic is high in energy (as evidenced by the fact that you can put it on fire).

salamo 4y ago
Sure, but petroleum is also high in energy. There are even some bacteria that consume it. Yet petroleum is still available in huge deposits.
- kevviiinn 4y ago
  Deposits are the key, it generally isn't readily available on the surface where most of the living organisms are

SideburnsOfDoom 4y ago

> Is that possible? As far as I know nothing consumes rocks and they've been around forever. Can you burn rocks? No. Can you burn plastics? Generally yes. Therefor there is useful energy to be extracted from plastics. NB, the quote was " part of their ecosystem" not "consumes". Molluscs, corals and diatoms construct out of rock-like materials, so making minerals part of their ecosystem is a thing.

andrewflnr 4y ago

I think lichens break down rocks. I know there are some microbes that do it.

jhbadger 4y ago

There are already bacteria that eat (some) plastics. Plastics, unlike rocks, are basically just hydrocarbons, not that different from sugars and starches and quite digestible if you have the right enzymes. Whether or not animals could evolve to do it is another story, though.

ogig 4y ago

I've been in a huge magnesite mine, tens of km of underground corridors, with big cathedral like spaces bored in a mountain. The biggest use for all this rocks is feeding meat producing cows with supplement minerals. So, yes, we all eat rocks.

sva_ 4y ago

> As far as I know nothing consumes rocks Rocks do turn into soil which is then the basis for stuff to grow on it.

themitigating 4y ago
Through acidic chemicals released by plants they are not consumed
- hinkley 4y ago
  Consumed for minerals, not for consuming high energy chemical bonds.

phistep 4y ago

Already happening. See https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aad6359 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aad6359

scotty79 4y ago

For something to be consumed it needs to have energy surplus. Plastics have plenty, you could just set fire to them to combine them with oxygen to get it. They only obstacle is to figure out set of enzymes that can do the burning in controleed manners. Life is very good at figuring that stuff out, it just takes time. Rocks pretty much don't burn. Although I wouldn't be surprised if in water environments there are some organisms that can utilize some rocks in their metabolism. It's just that rocks are pretty much useless on the surface that's why nothing eats them here. Similarly with coal underground. In airless environment coal is just rock. If there was plenty of it on the surface something would metabolise it for energy. I think coal from burnt forest doesn't just remain on the ground. Something probably eats it.