The Lab Talks

Plastic is used in your keyboard, your phone case and even your clothing. It is all around us, but it has one major drawback: plastic breaks down very slowly. During that breakdown process, microplastics are created, tiny plastic particles that are so small that you cannot see them with the naked eye. To tackle this growing problem, scientists are focusing on microbes.

This is not the first time that microorganisms have helped clean up the earth. For example, small plants first began producing wood about 400 million years ago. This brand-new material offered plants protection against microbes, among other things. In the beginning, microorganisms were hardly able to break down wood.

It was only after millions of years of evolution that more and more microbes developed the ability to digest wood. As a result, the ecosystem recovered and wood became part of the natural cycle again. Perhaps this could also happen with plastic?

Come by the Lab Talks and be amazed by these impressive microbes!