Comments on: 16-Year Old Boy Isolates Microbe That Eats Plastic, Potentially Saves Earth

By: Brayden

Brayden — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:37:19 +0000

re RECYCLE:

recycling, while abmirable, is ultimately -- utilizing current technologies -- wasteful. this plastic dehration process seems as of it involves few, if any, hazardous waste products and/or unneccesary resource expenditure.

By: K!P

K!P — Mon, 26 May 2008 08:11:51 +0000

this has great potantial in a good AND bad way: killerbees suppose to give more honey, but they escaped. What if the plastic eating superstrain bacteria in 20 years from now gets away? PLastic would be useless.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 26 May 2008 05:22:21 +0000

Nice idea. His buddies probably hit him up for a batch to play a prank, turning them loose inside the principal's car.

Hey; a whole new market for these bugs!

By: Christophe

Christophe — Mon, 26 May 2008 03:43:55 +0000

simple, yet brilliant.

Another way is the bureaucratic French way : in 2010 grocery plastic bags will be outlawed. Simple, yet... simple.

By: Emily M

Emily M — Mon, 26 May 2008 02:13:29 +0000

A+

By: Lore

Lore — Sun, 25 May 2008 22:44:49 +0000

Potentially saves earth. If used for evil, could potentially be the end of it.

By: Depherios

Depherios — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:54:35 +0000

Lol neko.

Wonderful advancement... if we can keep it contained...

But plastic is essentially a major building block of our civilization right now, and if these things evolve to and/or are tailored to be more efficient at breaking it down...

One day, hopefully not anytime in the next few million years, we'll have to defend everything we own against bacteria and whatnot out to get it. I'd rather not see it in my lifetime due to our meddling lol.

By: otterly

otterly — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:29:20 +0000

Well you can always RECYCLE! C'mon people! Now our city recycling plant (whos picks up ALL recycling curbside) will take all plastics.. Every bottle is not recyclable.

If your too lazy to stuff all your plastics sacks into one and carry it with you to the store and deposit it before you go grocert shopping, I don't know about you.
Its too easy.

By: Archbob

Archbob — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:27:15 +0000

Looks like kids are making more discoveries than scientists these days. First the goldfish thing and now this.

By: L

Sun, 25 May 2008 17:43:05 +0000

"So growing these bacterium in large numbers doesn’t seem like a good idea on the surface."

And continuing to choke the oceans with plastic does?

I'm impressed with the project. Science classes must've changed quite a bit since I was in high school.

By: Ola Amigo

Ola Amigo — Sun, 25 May 2008 17:42:31 +0000

Smart kid. Don't know how it'll work out in practice, but I admire is initiative and inventiveness.

By: neko

neko — Sun, 25 May 2008 17:39:35 +0000

in before the microbes either destroying all plastic everywhere or developing a taste for flesh.

By: JW

JW — Sun, 25 May 2008 16:58:59 +0000

Unfortunately the two types of bacteria isolated in the experiment can pose a danger to humans. Both Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas can infect people with compromised immune systems, and play a role in secondary infections acquired in hospitals. The infection can usually be treated by antibiotics, but some strains of Pseudomonas are already becoming resistant.

So growing these bacterium in large numbers doesn't seem like a good idea on the surface. On the other hand, we're all probably growing them right now on our shower curtain.

But perhaps certain strains could be found that don't pose a threat and still retain the ability to degrade polyethelene. Certainly worth researching, hopefully someone will.

By: MoonCake

MoonCake — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:35:06 +0000

i don't know- this may be really, really awesome and it may be really, really bad. knowing how our economy deals with new things, this boy will likely be exploited and his discovery will be taken for granted. it will be overused, and the original utility will be lost.

otherwise, i think this would be a great breakthrough because plastics are evil and the floating island between california and hawaii proves it.

By: CheeseDuck

CheeseDuck — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:20:31 +0000

Huh. I thought people had already discovered this microbe. Or was that the oil eating one?

By: Shervin

Shervin — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:20:10 +0000

What are the products of the bacterial degradation?

By: andrew

andrew — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:09:16 +0000

doubleh : I think you're thinking of the Andromeda Strain.

By: doubleh

doubleh — Sun, 25 May 2008 13:13:56 +0000

This reminds me of a Michael Crichton novel.

By: Miss Cellania

Miss Cellania — Sun, 25 May 2008 13:06:44 +0000

If usable, this is a wonderful breakthrough! I just hope manufacturers don't use the microbe as an excuse to flood us with ever more plastic. Biodegradability is wonderful, but we also need to bring back the public water fountain for those who do not want to buy plastic bottles, and come up with better packaging for those who will buy water or soda pop no matter what.