Biodegradable

A canadian kid has isolated a microbe in nature that munches down on polyethelene. In other words, he found bugs that think plastic bags are a yummy, yummy treat. Besides more microbes, the by products are water, heat, and a little CO2 (insert microbes that turn CO2 into fuel).

First, its just amazing to read through the process the kid went through to test the idea that there are such buggers, isolate the microbe and then optimize the process. If only science teachers in the U.S. understood science this well. Second, while it may be surprising that what we generally consider something that is completely unnatural (plastic bags) can be broken down by natural bugs, its nothing new. Guys like Craig Venter have been not only identifying microbes like this for  a while now, they are actually identifying the genes that enable the work. Human chemists can’t even come close to holding a candle to what the smallest living things on earth can accomplish. Understanding this, and getting a grasp on the scope of the capabilities here (Munching CO2 or nuclear waste? Pooping medicine or fuel? ), should be at the top of our list for tasks this century.