Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic
Photo: Samuel Mann/Flickr 
That was Daniel's question, and he put to the test with a very simple and clever process of immersing ground plastic in a yeast solution that encourages microbial growth, and then isolating the most productive organisms.
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Comments(186)
Posted By Gary - Mon, Feb 15 2010 at 9:51 PM ESTMicrobe eats plastic
Read the book "Mutant 59 The Plastic Eaters" to see what can happen if that bug gets loose. Not a good thing for the whole world.
Good read too.
Posted By Anonymous - Thu, Dec 31 2009 at 3:15 PM ESTCome on now
Do any of you really know what you're talking about? Yea some of your basic ideas/comments are interesting/valid, but don't take a small piece of information and trying to expand on it with scientific certainty. This kid's idea is a great stepping stone to a very real and big problem; and it's one that needs to be addressed before the ecological damage caused by these plastic oceans becomes irreversible. If you're all really that concerned, take the extra time to recycle what you can; it's.... More
Posted By Anonymous - Fri, Dec 18 2009 at 8:35 PM ESTWHY CAN"T WE RECYCLE
it seems itd be easier to recycle, because that microbe that digests the plastic prolly releases methane, a greenhouse gas.
Posted By santa - Mon, Mar 01 2010 at 8:04 AM ESTREALLY?
Did you really write that?? Wow. How did you even find a "science" site...........?
Posted By Anonymous - Sun, Jan 03 2010 at 7:34 PM ESTWhy we can't recycle
Just because we recycle doesn't mean that it's doing us any good. Sure, some things can be used again, but most of what we recycle is actually being "downcycled." This means that more chemicals are added to the plastic to make it once again usable, and it almost never has the same quality as the original and is therefore used for a much different purpose. For more information on the subject, I suggest reading the book titled Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart.
Posted By Tim Poston - Thu, Nov 19 2009 at 10:16 PM ESTDoomwatch
"Daniel had a thought it seems even the most esteemed PhDs hadn't considered."???
Not even if they had watched the BBC show "Doomwatch" in 1970? The first episode explored exactly the idea of microorganisms created to degrade plastic (which then ran amok). Burd and Tseng had neat contributions, but the thought had been around for three times their lifetimes.
Posted By Johnny Blaze - Wed, Nov 18 2009 at 11:04 AM ESTMany Materials
Some microbe, or chemical, or type of energy (e.g. thermal,or electrical) may affect one type of material but have no effect upon another. That's why we use so many different materials- we try to select the one with the best properties and appropriate cost for the requirements of the intended application - and proper disposal at the end of service life is one of those requirements.
We all need better planning in the use of materials to ensure that our trash piles don"t continue to grow..... More
Posted By fritzwilly - Sat, Sep 19 2009 at 7:31 AM ESTstealing...
hah I'm gonna use this as a basis of my research. All other good topics require some lazer photo-optimizer something. were gonna just use it to prove if retailers are bloody liars. God bless this Burd person.
Posted By Natural - Sat, Aug 15 2009 at 4:56 PM ESTWell, good for the kid...
Just goes to show that the fancy sheepskin and alphabet soup after your name mean nothing. Science is just another religion. It has the most holy, (Chaos), priests, (the PH.Ds) and the poor sots who believe (have faith in) every word they spout without even thinking it through.
Posted By santa - Mon, Mar 01 2010 at 8:10 AM ESTI agree..good on him.
...but science is prob'ly more like a "sect".. or a "cell".. Tolerated; sometimes even listened to (historically speaking now).. But rarely has it called the shots like religion can and does.
Posted By Dan - Fri, Oct 16 2009 at 1:40 PM ESTBlasphemy!... get it?
That is absolutely ridiculous. The poor sots can reaffirm, and often do, the "doctrine" through empirical inquiry and logic. And of course there is a hierarchy in science because, on the whole, those who have spent more time gaining the knowledge can put it to better use. Of course there will be outliers, but it wouldn't hold water to throw out the organization of education. Honestly, the fact that this article is even in print proves you wrong. Sure the boy hadn't even yet graduated high.... More
Posted By Anonymous - Sat, Aug 15 2009 at 4:23 PM EST"THERE ARE MANY PLASTICS, JUST AS THERE ARE MANY METALS"!
Some microbe, or chemical, or type of energy (e.g. thermal,or electrical) may affect one type of material but have no effect upon another. That's why we use so many different materials- we try to select the one with the best properties and appropriate cost for the requirements of the intended application - and proper disposal at he end of service life is one of those requirements.
We all need better planning in the use of materials to ensure that our trash piles don"t continue to.... More
Posted By Anonymous - Sat, Aug 15 2009 at 12:16 PM ESTBacteria run amuck
This sounds great, it really does. However, I'd like to just see plastics like the ones that have been polluting the oceans, the ones that have been piling up in garbage dumps for decades, and the ones most likely in your garbage can at home just stop being produced altogether. Besides, if we rely on these microbes to clean up for us, we will need unfathomable numbers of them -- they will breed unfathomably and likely out of our control. Not saying that's a bad thing. I'm just saying we've already .... More
Posted By Dan Kooper - Thu, Aug 13 2009 at 3:26 AM ESTHah
Man kids are getting crazier each day. This guy definitely hit on something though...if only we can harness it for application use.
Posted By Microbiologist - Wed, Aug 12 2009 at 1:51 PM ESTBetter solution: Biodegradable plastics
Just a note. A better solution would be the use of biodegradable plastics. These are produced and used commercially (they come from bacteria, originally, although there are other ways now to produce them commercially). So why aren't they used more? Price. They're a few cents more per pound than petroleum-based plastics. This is another reason why it is actually a good thing, long-term, for oil prices to go up.
Posted By kiley - Mon, Sep 28 2009 at 12:04 PM EST'better solution' not the solution
Creating biodegradable plastics is not a way of getting rid of existing plastic. Creating more 'stuff' won't get rid of the continent of trash floating in the north pacific.
Posted By Jithu Tim - Tue, Jul 28 2009 at 5:23 AM ESTOMG RUN RUN
I never thought it would come to this ... now whoz gonna save my play station... damn that kid...
Posted By Anonymous - Sat, Jul 25 2009 at 9:55 PM ESTSUPERBOY
i have read all the comments on the first page, and if that boy did this now, in the future he is going to very rich, well known, and an ecologist as good as david de rothschild!!! even if they will die in the dumps, they will at least reproduce before they do. but if we all just recycle and be as creative as the creaters of plastiki with our recyclables, we wouldnt have this problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted By Nananana - Sat, Jul 18 2009 at 6:48 AM ESTHoly Crap!
that kid is brilliant! i wish i could do something that helpful someday
Posted By Anonymous - Sun, Jul 19 2009 at 9:34 AM ESTBad Science
It is bad science, with the byproduct of carbon dioxide. As a alternative to polymers being buried on the ground we can enjoy them in our atmosphere
Posted By the realist - Tue, Jul 28 2009 at 4:40 PM ESTgood science
plant life converts carbon dioxide in to O2. Trees don't eat plastic. Problem solved, and quit your whining! If you really are that worried about CO2 stop breathing, because with every breath you pollute the earth.
Posted By Tom Volk - Sun, Jul 05 2009 at 1:48 PM ESTlink to Phenolic resin plastic degradation paper
Hi. You can find our 2006 (not 2004) paper on a fungus degrading phenolic resin polymer plastics at http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/feb2007.html
---tom
Posted By heh - Sat, Jul 04 2009 at 4:14 PM ESThi
lol humans are the problem? seems like you have been taking in too much news and coming to the conclusion that the average person is the problem and not the entirely corrupt and uncaring system in which we all operate
Posted By Anonymous - Sat, Jul 04 2009 at 3:16 PM ESTHumans are the problem
How about wiping humans off the face of the planet, problem solved. Humans are the cancer of this planet as said by Agent Smith in the Matrix.
Posted By Anonymous - Wed, Jun 24 2009 at 6:13 PM ESTnot new
If you guys do a little research you would already know that there are various plastic degrading bacteria. This discovery is now new, if a discovery at all
Posted By Anonymous - Wed, Jun 24 2009 at 2:23 PM ESTkhai
Why the **** isn't it being widely used? It seems like tons of new environmentally friendly and amazing scientific breakthroughs are being discovered that will reduce waste, garbage, ECT.. like never before imagined, and you N E V E R hear of them being used, you never hear of how much waste is reduced, and you never hear how much better the environment (SHOULD) be getting. If all of these things are being discovered then why the **** don't we put them to use. It's almost as if they discover.... More
Posted By Anonymous - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 6:47 PM ESTLMAO
Wow, this was news LAST YEAR when it happened http://news.therecord.com/article/354044#=rss ... Took you that long to find out about when the rest of the world knew about it in May of 2008?
Posted By Anonymous - Wed, Jun 24 2009 at 9:28 AM ESTThis boy should have talked to me first.
I could have told this boy that there was a much faster way to disolve the plastic and too many uncontrolled microbes wouldn't be a problem.
It's called Jack Russell Terriers. I have one of these and she can chew and "dissolve" any plastic within 15 minutes. Even the hardest plastic that you will find in things like cell phones and tv remote controlls. LOL
Posted By Anonymous - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 1:39 PM ESTBeen There Done That
Damn I should have patented that bugger when it began eating my toys at age 6 and I had to switch to all metal Hot Wheels
Posted By WillK - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 1:09 PM ESTEncouraging
Burd's efforts are encouraging, especially in comparison to half the replies to this article. Good Lord.
Posted By Anonymous - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 10:50 AM ESTIt could mutate into a face melting microbe
I personally do not want to be involved in any face melting!
Posted By AntiHero - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 9:12 AM ESTa few things
- 1st this is a great discovery for a 16 year old to make
-2nd the intermingling of similar genetic types rarely produces unexpected results, think about dog breeding
-3rd this strain of bacteria will not take over the world, bacteria don't breed as if they are in perfect conditions in the real world, this kid had them in a warm yeast solution, not in a garbage pit; these microbes obviously breed relatively slowly in reality othrewise the degradation of plastics would be much faster.... More
Posted By The Think Man - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 7:36 AM ESTIt will not last
The biggest problem here is that the microbes will increase in numbers. Now most of our plastics might be in danger and we might have to replace even our tupperware with something less degradeable.... catch my drift? It wont be long before manufacturers will need to produce microbe resistant plastics.... so there goes the kid's mutant-microbe collection floating off in to the sunset.
Better luck next time
Posted By ANMRCY - Thu, Jun 25 2009 at 11:38 AM ESTWrong-minded
See, the point is, we shouldn't be using plastics. We just need to biodegrade the ones we've already made. Get your mind right.
Posted By Kechu - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 5:42 PM ESTby the way
these things can't live out in the open, they were bred in a contained environment. if they were to get out, they would die pretty fast. by the time these things do evolve and leave their warm mixtures of goo, i suspect humans will be dead :\
Posted By Anonymous - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 4:51 PM ESTThe Think Man is an idiot
And I know anyone with a science background will agree. Seriously, are you Joe the plumber?
Posted By bystroffc - Thu, Jun 25 2009 at 9:35 AM ESTThink Man has a point
It may sound alarmist, but The Think Man has a point, not so much for a microbe that degrades plastic, but... imagine a well-intentioned scientist inventing a microbe that rapidly degrades wood (lignin and cellulose) and releasing it. The carbon locked in the form of wood would become CO2, adding to the climate problem. Anytime we think it is a good idea to release an engineered organism to solve a pollution problem, we should be careful.
Having said that, I really think this is a.... More
Posted By Anonymous - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 12:16 AM ESTStory Inaccuracies
The science reporting in this story is suspect because there appears to be a number of logical contradictions. The first is that it takes 1000 years to decompose plastic. How would this be known if plastic has only been around since 1862?
Moreover if it were known that plastic decomposes, at perhaps a very slow rate, then it is likely the mechanism behind the decomposition would be known in part. Thus it stands to reason that some scientist in the past has recognized that there is a.... More
Posted By Anonymous - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 12:09 PM ESTestimating degradation
Estimating the time to degrade plastic can be done without waiting the entire time. Samples of plastic can be studied for the degree of decomposition sustained in, say, a quarter of a century. As the process is most likely an exponentially decaying function, it is very easy to extrapolate to obtain the 1000 *ESTIMATE*. Aside from that, the boy's contribution was to try something that other people did not try, whether they didn't because they were unable, or uninterested. That, by itself is.... More
Posted By Anonymous - Mon, Jun 29 2009 at 7:21 PM ESTWell no
Others have worked on this before - to the extent that "Doomwatch" had a drama about plastic eating microbes in the 60s. Also the story said "they decompose therefore there must be a bacteria". Not so: most plastics decompose under UV light - sunlight for example - and chemical and mechanical degradation also occur.
Rich Farmbrough
Posted By Anonymous - Mon, Jun 22 2009 at 7:44 PM ESThmm
if we start using these to speed up the process we should have something that kills them off two.
what would happen if this got out of control and spread to places?
and i dont think its a very smart idea to interbreed organisms
unless you know exactly what yo are doing
if you make something bad and it spreads then we have to come up with something to counter it..
interesting discovery but could have been bad
Posted By Anonymous - Tue, Jun 23 2009 at 3:44 PM ESTClueless much?
If you don't know what you,re talking about, you better not talk.
Do you know what a STRAIN is?
Posted By crackgerbal - Mon, Jun 22 2009 at 2:06 PM ESTWhat are the wastes as a result?
I think that kid has a great idea that could be implemented in a treatment facility where it would be contained, but I am worried about what waste streams are produced as a result of the bacteria. Bacteria die and produce waste like any other organism, so what is in their waste, how much and can we handle that?
Posted By Anonymous - Mon, Jun 22 2009 at 2:01 PM ESTmicrobe weapons
use these microbes on our enemies and have all their precious plastic consumed!!! soon they won't be able to drink water and then they'll get thirsty and surrender. my hat's off to this one kid even though he's Canadian
someday we'll want this stuff...
Plastics are made from petroleum. Petroleum, aka all that expensive oil stuff that's going to run out in (insert secret number) years. When that happens? All that plastic floating on the ocean and clogging up garbage pits will suddenly be valuable. Just wait long enough and we'll HAVE to reuse it.