Could this new discovery help solve our global plastic problem?
Scientists from the University of Portsmouth, UK, and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory have engineered an enzyme that can digest some of the most common and polluting plastics.
Since its rise in popularity in the 1950s, we have produced about 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic. Polyethene terephthalate (PET) is just one of many plastics and takes hundreds of years to degrade, meaning this enzyme could be the answer to a major environmental problem. The enzyme, known as PETase, was recently discovered to naturally digest PET. While testing and 3D modelling the enzyme, the team unintentionally engineered the PETase to break down the plastic at a much faster rate than it would naturally.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 112-utgaven av How It Works.
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THE POWER OF WATER
We're hooked on fossil fuels. But hydroelectric power is becoming an increasingly important replacement for coal and oil
EXPLORING THE MOON'S CAVES
Earth's rocky neighbour is home to a network of unexplored caves, and scientists are keen to take a peek inside
HOW TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT
The campaigns, votes and elections that put someone in America's most powerful office
WHAT IS MORNING SICKNESS?
Why some pregnancies can cause nausea and vomiting
20 WEIRDEST SCIENCE MYSTERIES
From dark matter to deep-sea crabs, science still can't fully explain these strange quirks of nature
THE TRIANGULUM GALAXY SHINES IN A NEW HUBBLE IMAGE
A nearby galaxy is shining with star formation in a new image from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The world's fastest charger fully powers smartphones in five minutes
Scientists have revealed the fastest battery-charging technology in the world for smartphones, which can fully charge a smartphone in less than five minutes.
Real-time brain stimulation slashes Parkinson's symptoms by half in trials
Brain stimulation that rapidly adjusts in real-time can dramatically reduce Parkinson’s symptoms, an early trial suggests.
The hottest ocean temperature in 400 years threatens the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is facing the hottest sea surface temperatures in four centuries.
Massive medieval coin hoard worth about 150 sheep' discovered
Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed over 1,500 medieval silver coins after a citizen noticed what looked like ‘small metal plates’ while digging during a construction project.
