A type of caterpillar that can munch up plastic bags has just been identified, fuelling excited speculation that this could one day help to eliminate global pollution from plastic waste. After a Spanish researcher had mistakenly left wax worms in a plastic bag one day, she found that the critters had munched their way to freedom. Further research found that wax worms are able to chew and digest plastic. The next step isn’t to use the wax worms themselves, but to find the enzyme in their digestive systems that’s being used to break up the plastic in the first place.