He end of the world hole It begins to close with the absorption of an entity that has a life of its own. The planet Land It is being heavily besieged by declared enemies who do not stop advancing. Although there is a lot of talk about air pollution, there is another type of pollution (among others) that is destroying a good of great value for human beings: plastic pollution.
This type of pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, decreasing the ability of ecosystems to adapt to climate change. It directly affects millions of people, other living beings, food production and their social well-being. As recorded by the UNapproximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion tons of plastic generated between 1950 and 2017 ended up as plastic waste.
Said waste ended up in landfills or was thrown away. Plastic pollution is not an isolated issue. The environmental, social, economic and health risks of plastics must be evaluated together with other environmental stress factors, such as climate change, ecosystem degradation and the use of resources.
A fungus is behind the closure of the ‘hole at the end of the world’
A international group of marine scientists has discovered a fungus that devours plastic on the large plastic island of the Peaceful. This fungus harbors the ability to decompose plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. His discovery was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. This analysis shows new perspectives in the fight against plastic pollution.
The fungus in question responds to the name of Parengyodontium album. It was found among the thin layers of other microbes that live around the accumulation of floating plastic in the north of the Pacific Ocean. It joins the list of known fungi capable of consuming and decomposing plastic waste at number 4.
According to the information provided in the study, this fungus is very effective at breaking down polyethylene exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, the type of plastic most commonly used in consumer items such as water bottles and supermarket bags. We have already heard about ultraviolet light for mechanically breaking down plastic.
However, the study led by Annika Vaksmaa of the Royal Netherlands Marine Research Institute (NIOZ) explains that it also makes biological degradation by marine fungi easier.
The hole at the end of the world is closing, but we must take precautions
The fact that a fungus with these characteristics exists does not mean that we can increase the use of disposable plastics. The oceans are currently experiencing saturation with destructive plastic pollutants. In this context, reducing the use of plastics continues to be the best strategy to avoid damage to marine life and the environment.
Discarding the plastic present in the oceans is not easy. Collecting plastic with large nets can negatively affect marine life, is expensive and ineffective. For this reason, the appearance of a fungus that accelerates the degradation of plastic is good news, but it does not represent a definitive solution.
Under laboratory conditions, the fungus breaks down a piece of plastic treated with ultraviolet light at a rate of about 0.05% per day over a 9-day cycle. Although it is a slow rate, it shows the world the possibility that other similar organisms exist and are yet to be discovered.
In a context in which many talk about unstoppable plastic pollution, the end of the world hole caused by it could begin to close thanks to this fungus.
