Think Green Live Clean

Photo Credit: Fabian Fischer

Plastic loving microbes have been found in marine environments all over the world. Little is known about these microbes, but scientists researching them believe that they may be able to break down plastic or plastic associated pollutants that contribute to water pollution.

It’s common knowledge that plastic litters marine environments and threatens the wildlife that thrives there. Plastic pellets absorb toxic chemicals that become “poison pills” to anything that ingests them. Other plastic products are often found in the stomachs of dead sea lions, dolphins, turtles and many other marine animals. Eliminating or reducing the amount of plastic in the ocean could save many lives and habitats, which is what scientist hope the microbes will be capable of doing.

Not much is known about the microbes, but scientists do know that the microbes bind to plastic and form coatings around it. The microbes include bacteria, archaea, and microscopic eukaryotes that may produce enzymes that allow them to use plastic as an energy source. How they do it is still very poorly understood and scientists are just starting to research them thoroughly. However the goal is to one day know enough about how the microbes function to be able to direct their activities to essentially eating away our oceans plastic. The potential for these microbes is huge, with further research and understanding I believe the microbes can prove to be remarkable facilitators in our efforts to keep our waters clean.

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