Jonah Engel Bromwich

A Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Plastic Bags, Researchers Say

4-27-2017

New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/27/science/plastic-eating-caterpillar.html?

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Rebecca Rodriquez

The wax worm has been discovered to have an ability to break down and digest

plastic material which can be used to help solve the world's plastic pollution issue.

Scientists discovered the worm's ability after a woman placed several wax worms in a

plastic bag to transport them and discovered that they had chewed holes through the

bag. The woman reported her findings to her peers at the university of Cambridge.

Through studies the scientists there realized that the worm had an enzyme that allowed

it to break down and digest plastic material. Scientists hope to eventually single out this

enzyme and reproduce it to help get rid of the plastic that has been polluting the earth

but don't expect to have a testable solution until several years later.

I think it's really great that there is a living organism that can break down plastic.

I hope that the solution the scientists come up with will really help solve the world's

plastic pollution crisis.

I wonder why this discovery hasn't been made before.

How do they plan to isolate the enzyme that breaks down plastic material and

reproduce enough of it to effectively reduce the plastic pollution on the earth?

Who will fund this project?

This article can be used to understand different approaches to solving the world's plastic

pollution crisis.