Interesting article. A certain species of mushroom has been discovered to be able to thrive off of styrofoam and plastic. The significance? Scientists just may have found a way to submit these forms of waste to the process of biodegradation. If the logistics work out, this discovery should ease at least some environmental concerns. More Than Mere Magic Mushrooms | This Could Be Big - Yahoo! News Or it could just be wishful thinking :wiggle:
Unintended consequences. Next thing you know, the mushrooms will morph into semi-conscious undead feeders of human flesh
Joking aside, unintended consequences is exactly why I wonder if this is just wishful thinking. Maybe you can subject plastic to biodegradation, but with what long-term carcinogenic result (since, as you know, EVERYTHING gives us cancer). I guess we'll have to wait and see. The second problem is, of course, feasibility. How long does this process take, and does it have to be constantly monitored for efficacy? Is the degradation fast enough to handle the absolutely massive amounts of plastic waste made by developed nations? Or will the scientists be "fighting a losing game?" [video=youtube;HnbNcQlzV-4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnbNcQlzV-4[/video]
I worry more about the developing nations than the developed nations. They are growing their economies at a terrible cost to the environment while the US economy grows slowly and our environmental impact decreases.
