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
Topic: Boy discovers microbe that eats plastic 46% iin 6 weeks (Read 2726 times)
