Fast-acting enzyme breaks down plastics and changes recycling game
We’ve all wondered when we take out the recycling just how much of it will be recycled, remade, and repurposed into a new product as we hope. Sadly, only 10 percent of plastics globally are successfully recycled, and there’s a lot of work to do to ensure everything we put in the recycling bin Read More...
This “superworm” eats and degrades plastics
Researchers from the University of Queensland have discovered that thanks to a bacterial enzyme in their gut the Zophobas morio “superworm” can eat through polystyrene plastic. This is the main compound of Styrofoam. Over a three-week period, the research team fed these “superworms” Read More...
Is this the end of organ transplant shortages?
According to the HRSA, 17 deaths occur in the US every day due to not receiving an organ before an illness progresses too far. Waiting times are on average three to five years, so it's about time we came up with some alternative solutions. A recent advance that hugely helped this effort was the Read More...
New breakthroughs in nutrient-sensing cells
Did you know immune cells can sense nutrients? A new study from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has identified the biological mechanism behind the phenomenon. The type of immune cells with these special abilities are called T cells. These play a critical role in immunity and cancer, Read More...
Adding enzymes to compostable plastic may help it biodegrade faster
As consumers demand sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics, compostable plastic items have become increasingly popular in recent years. The problem, however, is that many of these 'compostable' items don’t break down in regular composting conditions and tend to contaminate other Read More...
Special class of enzymes could lead to more eco-friendly plastic
Plastic isn’t only harmful to the environment after it’s discarded, but also during its initial production, because it relies on the extraction of fossil fuels. Looking to find a more environment-friendly way to produce this ubiquitous material, scientists have recently made a breakthrough, Read More...