Some version of this concept has floated (pun intended) around for a while. Thing is that plastics are an energy dense "food source" and once something evolves a way to metabolize it they'll have a huge advantage.
It's like how glyphosate tolerance has appeared in weed plants already. Evolution is always looking for an angle.
Not necessary, normal bacteria&friends are already doing it. Also funnily enough there is an increase in biodiversity because of the Great Pacific Garbage patch because sea life can attach to the trash, creating a new ecosystem.
10 Comments
Gregorech@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 2y
Can they promise it will only eat that? Also what's the byproduct.
Anticorp@lemmy.ml · 9 pts · 2y
Robotic zombies that shoot covid out of their eyes.
Anticorp@lemmy.ml · 20 pts · 2y
This sounds like the beginning of an apocalypse movie.
XTL@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 2y
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_goo
Trafficone@slrpnk.net · 5 pts · 2y
Some version of this concept has floated (pun intended) around for a while. Thing is that plastics are an energy dense "food source" and once something evolves a way to metabolize it they'll have a huge advantage.
It's like how glyphosate tolerance has appeared in weed plants already. Evolution is always looking for an angle.
NaibofTabr@infosec.pub · 3 pts · 2y
Ill Wind, by Kevin J. Anderson & Doug Beason
DavidGarcia@feddit.nl · 0 pts · 2y
Not necessary, normal bacteria&friends are already doing it. Also funnily enough there is an increase in biodiversity because of the Great Pacific Garbage patch because sea life can attach to the trash, creating a new ecosystem.
Nature do be amazing like that.
Daefsdeda@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2y
I have always said, nature will continue to thrive, it is we that will have consenquences
DavidGarcia@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 2y
yes, that and massive biodiversity loss that will take millions of years to recover
Daefsdeda@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2y
Yeah but mass extinction events aren't a new thing on earth. People need to understand that climate is a problem because of selfish reasons.