{"id":64644,"date":"2015-10-05T12:00:35","date_gmt":"2015-10-05T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=64644"},"modified":"2015-10-04T12:15:52","modified_gmt":"2015-10-04T11:15:52","slug":"hail-to-the-worm-plastic-eating-worm-might-be-the-solution-to-global-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2015\/10\/hail-to-the-worm-plastic-eating-worm-might-be-the-solution-to-global-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Hail to the Worm: Plastic-Eating Worm Might Be the Solution to Global Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 Oct 2015 – <\/em>New research could have staggering implications for plastic waste pollution: An international team of researchers found that the Darkling Beetle larvae, the mealworm, can subsist on a diet of Styrofoam and other forms of polystyrene.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a9<\/a>

\u00a9 Michael Kooren \/ Reuters<\/p><\/div>\n

In an ongoing worm study, Stanford engineers collaborated with researchers at the University of China and found that microorganisms in the guts of the common mealworm biodegrade Styrofoam. The process produces carbon dioxide and a usable waste that appears to be safe for crop use.<\/p>\n

In the lab, 100 mealworms ate between 34 and 39 milligrams \u2013 the weight of small pill \u2013 of Styrofoam per day. The worms converted the plastic into carbon dioxide, and within 24 hours excreted the rest as biodegradable fragments that look like rabbit droppings. Styrofoam has long been considered non-biodegradable, and the new results have been described as shocking.<\/p>\n

“Our findings have opened a new door to solve the global plastic pollution problem,<\/em>” Wei-Min Wu, co-author of the two companion studies on the subject and a senior research engineer at Stanford University, said in a statement.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Wow, this is amazing! Mealworms convert Styrofoam waste into usable soil http:\/\/t.co\/8HPJ9Xhy7W<\/a> #scienceiscool<\/a><\/p>\n

— Richard Houghton (@StrategicalIT) October 1, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n