But is it Art or a Microbial Answer to Plastic Pollution?

Microbial Answer to Plastic Pollution?

While microbes are the most numerous organisms in the marine environment, this is the first DNA-based study to investigate how they interact with plastic fragments. The new study investigated the attachment of microbes to fragments of polyethylene – a plastic commonly used for shopping bags. The scientists found that the plastic was rapidly colonised by multiple species of bacteria that congregated together to form a ‘biofilm’ on its surface. Interestingly, the biofilm was only formed by certain types of marine bacteria.