These ‘Superworms’ Can Eat Styrofoam and Could Help Reduce Plastic Waste

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Even if all production of plastic suddenly ceased tomorrow, we’d still have ginormous piles of stuff in the environment, including the ocean. Waiting until plastic pollution degrades isn’t a great option since that takes centuries, generating microscopic pieces of synthetic material that get eaten or absorbed by flora and fauna.

However, new research provides insight into how gut microbes in beetle larvae digest plastic.

Australian researchers from the University of Queensland recently published a study that delves into how gut bacteria in insects such as Zophobas morio larvae, also known as “super worms” and a common pet reptile food, adapt to a plastic diet.