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2024-11-11

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Scientists Find Plastic-Eating Fungus Feasting on Great Pacific Garbage Patch (futurism.com)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/16488358

Scientists Find Plastic-Eating Fungus Feasting on Great Pacific Garbage Patch

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 5 months ago (4 children)

I can't tell if it's a good news or bad news.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Fungus are great news, the best nonplant plant in the ecosystem

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Ahem, Mammals would like a word with you. MAMMALS RULE, FUNGUS DROOLS!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's mamals who generally drool though

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

Slime mold would like to have a drooly word.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

James Acaster has entered the chat

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Assuming it doesn't evolve the ability to digest human flesh after it eats all the plastic, I think this is great news.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 5 months ago (1 children)

An interesting scifi plot could be where said fungi start hungering for the microplastics within us...

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago

First they came for our patch then they came for our balls

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Assuming you don't have the immune system of a plastic bottle you will be fine.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

All in all good news. It means less plastic and more biomass.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And more CO2

[–] [email protected] -1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Yup, if we can sequester the extra CO2 in the biomass part of the carbon cycle I think that's the best solution, it doesn't fight life on the planet, instead it works with it.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 5 months ago

Yeah, the plastic eatings sometgings never process the toxic bits.