Nature's biodegradable plastic could offer clues to today's plastic crisis
Long before humans created plastics from petroleum, nature developed its own plastic. Natural polymers called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have been produced by microorganisms hidden in soils, sediments, and oceans for millions of years. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Germany discovered that many animals possess enzymes capable of breaking down PHAs.
This finding could provide insights into carbon cycling within ecosystems and may aid in understanding the potential of biodegradable plastics to address today's plastic pollution crisis.
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