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Plastic Eating Shrooms

Among all the major cause of fears about earth closing down, landfill of plastic is a predominant one. Plastic is everywhere, it has become such a close part of our life that we can’t do without it. What this contains is polyurethane. This component is there in everything – furniture, plastic bags, garden hoses, kid’s toys and everything. Plastic is so widely used because it’s easy to produce, its durable and its dirt cheap.

Why is it a threat?

Because we can get rid of it.

So what happens to it?

People dig huge holes in earth and fill it up with plastic.

So what?

One day there won’t be land left to be filled.

Why can’t we get rid of it?

There isn’t a single natural process that breaks it down

But a little mushroom came to the rescue of Man Kind! Pestalotiopsis microspora is a native of Ecuadorian rain forest. It was discovered by a group of research students along with molecular biochemistry professor Soctt Strobel who was leading the team. This trip was part of Yale’s annual Rainforest Expedition. Pestalotiopsis microspora is the first of the fungus species that survived exclusively on polyurethane. The important point is, it was able to do so in anaerobic conditions- the same environment that gets simulated in the bottom of landfills. This fungus will be our saviour. This will be able to help find alternative solutions and make earth breathe healthy again.

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