The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Fluffywelshsheep on June 13, 2009, 03:51:27 pm

Title: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on June 13, 2009, 03:51:27 pm

http://www.mnn.com/technology/research-innovations/blogs/boy-discovers-microbe-that-eats-plastic

Title: Re: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks
Post by: doganjo on June 13, 2009, 03:55:40 pm

You must spend all day trawling - you're always coming up with odd links lol

Title: Re: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on June 13, 2009, 04:03:02 pm

lol, it came up on twitter post (which pop up on firefox) will i was talking to you on msn , lol


I thought some people on here might be interested in it

Linz

Title: Re: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks
Post by: sunnyjohn on June 13, 2009, 05:30:11 pm

Ooh! Ouch! How good/scary!

The science is rightly heralded as a potential cure for the mindless mountain of plastic we create and dispose of, to remain un-degraded for generations. But the prospect of a microbe at large that eats plastic can also be devastatingly dangerous. Does anyone remember the BBC 1 series 'Doomwatch', broadcast in 1970/72, in which one episode, called 'The Plastic Eaters' featured the result of such a microbe, that got into the structure of an aircraft and caused it to crash inexplicably. How scary is that, in the light of the recent unexplained air disaster...?

Like a lot of science, it could be a mixed blessing; could save the world or threaten all life! We need to apply common sense and complete openness on this (and all science?). When there are vested interests like multi-national companies and (corrupt?) politicians deciding not only what is permitted, but what we are allowed to know about it, we get things like

• the government authorising nuclear experiments that kill people,
• deriving tax income from tobacco whilst telling us it kills people - and then denying how the harm was known about 70 years ago...
• companies forcing us to accept GM and other science that changes organisms th THEIR advantage, whilst telling us they're doing US a favour!

Bravo for the student. Let's hope he is allowed to benefit lifekind, rather than being paid megabucks to develop something that harms us in the end....

John

Title: Re: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks
Post by: kevkev57 on June 14, 2009, 11:20:40 am

Hi John,  Doomwatch eh ?  I remember it but have not seen it for years. I have the orginal survivors on DVD though.

By the way, thanks for your kind comments about my ramble. I intend to do one every Friday here on TAS , until folk have had enough !

Kevin

Title: Re: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on June 14, 2009, 11:24:30 am

any excuse for me not to go in to the real world will be kindly excepted :)
Linz

Title: Re: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks
Post by: doganjo on June 14, 2009, 11:26:19 am

Don't blame you, Linz.  I wouldn't want to live in the real world next door to you either!  Did the noise start again after I left last night?  You must try to get that wall sound insulated before the baby comes.

Title: Re: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on June 14, 2009, 11:32:00 am

Went on until about 12.30 but put my ear plugs in so don't really know when they stopped the music

Title: Re: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks
Post by: northfifeduckling on June 15, 2009, 04:00:45 pm

any chance you could move to a better place, Linz? You need a big garden, peace, hens and all that...:&>