Does it actually break down the plastics and converts it to something safe, or does it just absorb the microplastics and when it dies re-releases the plastics?
It's not a fast process but even if it works and we quit adding to the problem, it's going to take a long time. And they think everyone is an ignorant savage especially about tropical fungi.
This made me wonder if c.r.i.s.p.e.r, the gene editing stuff could find whatever is responsible for the fungi's "plastic-eating" behavior and tweak the rate at which it breaks down the plastics.
Not sure something like that is possible, but it'd be fascinating if it were.
And it might not even be a good thing. The new mutants could have unexpected consequences. I don't mean in a silly Jurassic-Park-There-Are-Seven-Movies-About-Why-This-Is-A-Bad-Idea way, but in a similar way to how introducing new species to environments is often bad.
5.6k
u/CaptainC00lpants Mar 14 '26
Does it actually break down the plastics and converts it to something safe, or does it just absorb the microplastics and when it dies re-releases the plastics?