Students Stumble On Plastic-Eating Fungi

Looks like our problems with plastic waste matter may be a thing of the past real soon thanks to some Yale University students and Professors. Many have speculated how long it would take for plastic to initially break down (biodegrade) but to be honest we'll never know if they are correct seeing how no one will live 500 years. You may want to check out this article before you proceed.

Now that you've gotten a better understanding of how different things biodegrade you can sigh a breathe of relief as you read this:

"A group of students and professors from Yale University have found a fungi in the Amazon rainforest that can degrade and utilize the common plastic polyurethane (PUR). As part of the university’s Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory educational program, designed to engage undergraduate students in discovery-based research, the group searched for plants and cultured the micro-organisms within their tissue. Several active organisms were identified, including two distinct isolates of Pestalotiopsis microspora with the ability to efficiently degrade and utilize PUR as the sole carbon source when grown anaerobically, a unique observation among reported PUR biodegradation activities." source: mashable.com

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