Bacteria from the Ideonella family are used a lot in biotechnology because of their superpowers. For example, the bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis has a huge appetite for your plastic bottle! The plastic inside the bottle is built of many little building blocks and the links between them are super strong. Only a super bacterium like Ideonella sakaiensis can break these bonds and eat the building blocks of the plastic.
Researchers are trying to improve Ideonella sakaiensis‘ superpowers so that it can eat plastic even faster and more efficiently. So, this bacterium might be a real superhero because it could help us get rid of all this plastic lying around, which will keep our environment cleaner and protect our animals.
Throughout your day, you’re likely using several pieces of plastics. All this plastic waste takes up space in our landfills and overflows into rivers and oceans. Luckily, some bacteria can eat and degrade plastic to help us get rid of all this clutter. Read on to learn how plastic-degrading bacteria may be the key to a greener and healthier planet.
