Scientists discover ocean fungi that consume plastic! Nature is healing itself
2024-09-05 17:38:48
TiranaPost
Deep below the surface of the ocean, something extraordinary is happening - fungi are chewing through carelessly discarded plastic.
Marine microbiologists from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Marine Research (NIOZ) discovered that a marine fungus can decompose polyethylene plastic after being exposed to UV radiation from sunlight.
Their findings, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, suggest that many other fungi capable of decomposing plastic are likely to inhabit the deepest regions of the ocean.
It's a reminder that while we've spent years debating how to fix the damage we've done, nature has quietly done the work.
