Scientists discover proteins that can eat plastic
The IndependentThe best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The university said the findings underscore the need for further research to determine the function of micro-organisms colonising marine plastic pollution across larger geographic areas. “Understanding the function and ecology of micro-organisms colonising plastic pollution is therefore vital to adequately assess the risks of marine plastic pollution and to pave the way for biodiscovery beyond plastic biodegradation. “Our study addresses a critical gap in our understanding of the ecological roles of the micro-organisms colonising marine plastic pollution. “Our approach used state-of-the-art comparative metaproteomics and multi-omics to resolve not only which micro-organisms were present on marine plastic pollution, but also which micro-organisms were active.