Results: Wax Worms eating plastic bags

(Source: Current Biology) Plastic is pretty much forever. That polyethylene plastic bag you used to bring your groceries home can last for centuries in a landfill or the ocean. Scientists have tried using bacteria and fungus to break down plastics, but a team of researchers in the England and Spain have shown that a humble larva might be a much better fit for the job. Some wax worms had managed to eat their way through the plastic bags they were being kept in in a lab. While other organisms can take weeks or months to break down even the smallest amount of plastic, the wax worm can get through more—in a far shorter period of time. The researchers let 100 wax worms chow down on a plastic grocery bag, and after just 12 hours they’d eaten about 4 percent of the bag. The scientists spread some wax worm guts on plastic and found that ate through the plastic, too. The worms produce an enzyme that can break down the plastic—into ethylene glycol, which can be used to make polyester or antifreeze.