How worms could help solve plastic pollution
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
- We invented plastic to replace and repel bugs, now we are turning to bugs to get rid of plastic.
Reporter, Camera & Video Editor: Christian Caurla
Supervising Editors: Grit Hofmann, Kiyo Dörrer
READ MORE:
Our love-hate story with plastic:
/ plastic
Recycling plastic using enzymes:
www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/...
and: cen.acs.org/environment/susta...
Mealworms’ unusual taste for Styrofoam:
cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2...
and: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs....
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2021 - "Son, please take out the trash."
2030 - "Son, go feed the worms."
you didn't get it. their use is in recycling. hypothetically, if we feed all our plastic to worms, it is almost the same as burning it.
@@user-vx8qt9cd8o but without the fire and the air polutions
@@user-vx8qt9cd8o burning causes air pollution. feeding the worms to plastic is better as it causes no harm
@@sentanno4178 put that into perspective. if you feed millions of tons of plastic, to worms, the carbon from this plastic goes to the system. when we eat,,
we exale CO2. so maybe not as bad as burning it, but not too far off.
@@user-vx8qt9cd8o I think you underestimate the possibilities of this... If they break it down into harmless chemicals, mealworms are edible, and are eaten in parts of the world... I've tried them, and though they aren't as absolutely delicious as, for example, grasshoppers, I certainly wouldn't mind them on my plate on occasion. It could change the world to have supplemental meats that actually clean the environment... Of course this is dependant on what the enzymes break the plastics down into as to whether that would work, but there are so many potential uses for this if you have a creative mind, so don't discount it yet.
Interesting to note that when trees first evolved, there was nothing capable of breaking them down when they died. It took millenia before bacteria evolved to break down the lignin that makes up the wood in trees.
Really
That's Cool!! If so, then there would be a bacteria other than this worm to digest anything..
@@SingularitySurvivors give it a few million years and I'm sure there will be.
Some bacteria species has already tried to exploit the plastic eating niche in relatively recent time, so it's safe to say that we might be getting proper plastic decomposer bacteria in less than few hundreds or thousands years from now
@@yaboyyoob7531 Yep. Trees never used to decompose.
Does anyone know what affects the plastic eating worms would have on the creatures that eat them if they ingest plastic ?
Super curious if it’s been studied and what the results are.
Surely they'll become microplastics that we hear so much about, if not then if a worm can break down plastic surely stomach acid with pH of 2 should break it down
The only answer we can get is EXPIREMENT!!! We should sacrifice some worms to get the answer😅
Depends on if the worm has digested the plastic completely or not if so the worm would just produce ATP, CO2 and other natural waste if not completely digested I would reckon microplastics, polymer variants.
I was thinking the same.
There might be accumulation of microplastics in the predators of the mealworms
*_"They have adapted to live with plastic. We should do the same"_*
aight it's time to eat plastic 🤩
Plot twist, you probably already do...
@@jmad318 makes sense since micro plastics do get in our food
If I remember correctly, margarine is just one or two processes away from being plastic.
if you knew how much microplastics you, me, all of us already eat, drink and breathe in every week you would be astounded, does a credit card in weight per week sound astounding? does to me and if you knew what was in it you would be terrified. we will not adapt, just die of various cancers, blood disorders and brain disease and tumours..
Can our stomach acids dissolve plastic into nothing
If mealworms aren’t native to your area don’t let them go!
Yeah that made me cringe lol
Well that begs the question. Where are they not native to
@@endhunter569 look it up b4 dumping.
Ty!
That probably were just staged for the shot. He then later brought in a chicken or smthg and it ate them all ( i hope ) lol
This is really interesting. In the pet trade, mealworms often are used as feeder insects to all manner of exotic pets.
I noticed one day, there was a hole in the polystyrene at the bottom of my aquarium. When i looked inside, i found a mealworm hat bored a hole into the polystyrene, and made a went into its Pupa phase.
Years later, it clicked. Ooooooh! They can eat plastic!
So funny man! That's exactly how scientist made the same discovery. Congrats!
sprinkle some parmesan cheese on it and my wife will eat it all in 30 minutes flat
I mean some bacteria also eats plastics
I use them for fishing bait lol
I think they other insects can do that, there some kind of a bug live in the beans and they often didn't see them, because they don't come out, but once they do they can bite out themselves from plastic bags, this period in their life they look like small flies, it happened to us. One they we see so many small bugs/flies and we didn't know when they come from and we realized they came from the beans, they bite holes in the beans, then if you keep it in plastic bag they bite holes on that too. But I think if you store your beans, in a paper or cotton bag, it won't happen and less likely these bugs come out from beans. Don't panic, there have bugs everywhere and you eat it without know it.
50 Years Later:
Larva have been sending bugs and predators of these bugs to extinction. Controlling beetle population is deemed impossible due to quantity and size of eggs.
Lmao
Hans! Get ze flammenwerfer!
D.W. is enabling Greenwashing. This video is much like their recent video where Oil Companies wanted to charge us (more) for pumping Liquified Carbon Dioxide underground (yet in "unrelated" but ACTUAL News, Methane Hydrates escape as I write this). This is not "Reporting", it is free advertising; _"Don't change your habits, the Wealth Class is counting on you."_
Sociopaths got rich by appealing to convenience for us. This was after other sociopaths ensured we would sit in traffic in metal peniises. The metal penises were for us to feel happy and accomploshed while we spent most of our lives on the great hamster wheel of consumerism. So, if you think that the sociopaths want that level of obedience to end then you're forgetting about Profit Growth.
These are beetle larva they go through metamorphosis to become beetles
@@lp-kt1hu thanks for correction, typed that out during midnight
But do we have to accept that we have to live with non biodegradable plastics at all? Plant based plastic and mushroom based materials that decomposes like other natural things already exist. And I'm sure there's much more like that out there too...plus, endless economic growth is just stupid
@Salvatore Guidone yea, and why aren't we using more glass?
Because companies use cheaper plastic for packaging. Governments need to dip toward more authoritarian thinking to deal with this. Multibillion dollar companies squeezing every penny by using the cheapest materials, all-the-while paying their staff a pittance. The government needs to hit them with taxes so brutal it makes their eyes water - $1/plastic bottle.
So what about the plastic we already made?
@Salvatore Guidone These are all good points. Every time a technological solution looks like, well, a solution, it turns out that trying to solve a political-economic-ecological-technological problem with technology alone unsurprisingly ends up missing what it's aiming for. A bit like the invention of plastic in the first place. It could have a sustainable, life giving role in a sensible world but we don't have one of those so it can't. I reckon anyway.
@@crums0nMyJ4cket the problem with that is that if you do that the companies will just move to a more hospital country thereby depriving you of any resources the brought to the county and not solving the problem since they are still operating.
@@crums0nMyJ4cket Because glass is not just more expensive, but far more harmful to the environment, than plastic. Recycling something is not a good or magic solution in all cases (except aluminum) it is a last resort. The fact that glass is recyclable doesn't make it environmentally friendly, it means, that if it is collected, and handled properly it doesn't end up in some animals stomach in the ocean, which is only a part (and not the most important one) of our environmental impact.
Glass is far heavier, than plastic, it breaks easily (so it won't be reused infinitely), it requires far more material, energy and money to produce. It requires huge amount of processes and energy when it is recycled as well. It has far higher direct GHG emission, than plastic, far higher environmental impact due to its material requirement, it increases the GHG emission of transport due to its weight far more than plastic, and its only small advantage is, that it doesn't end up in the ocean if handled properly, which is 100% true for plastics as well.
Plastic problem is exclusively a waste management problem, not a material one. It is far better to the environment, than any other alternative materials (except aluminum, due to its infinite recyclability using a fraction of the energy cost, than its virgin version), and we just fcking up the waste management part, but that doesn't make paper, glass, cotton better which have far higher environmental and GHG impact, Greens just never talks about that, because plastic is the enemy due to its scientific nature.
I never realized meal worms had little feet on the bottom. They look too cute to kill now.
That’s disgusting
They aren't worms. They are the larval stage of a beetle so like all insects that have feet.
@@zxylia1138 atleast they help eliminating Plastic
@@zxylia1138 how is it disgusting?
They are really cute I agree! And I was also surprise of the feet when I bought them
Is that a plastic bag that the worms were shipped in. The irony around my world still unfolding 🥲
I didn’t notice that 😂😂😂😂😂😂
It's so they dont starve during the trip X D
It looked more like a cloth bag to me.
I also noticed that.
I keep mealworms for fishing and feeding my pet fish and they can eat plastic but they eat it soooooooooo slow. It takes months and several generations of the worm to half digest it.
"This is how they reduce a piece of Styrofoam"
Me:"NICE!!"
"In just a week!"
Me:"this problem will never end..."
😉 It's a start.
@@DWPlanetA i hope so
Yes it had some holes in it. Hardly destroyed. If there are other food sources do the mealworms choose plastic or the other food?
you forgot to mention the part where they can literally only do this with styrofoam and plastic wrap, and how it still comes out as plastic, just in tiny compressed balls.
Is that so? This would make this good message worse. 😕
Although, using a mesh sorting system, they could sort out the tiny compressed balls, which as stated in the video, would be able to be reused
@@joshwekony8861 no. they wouldnt. the whole "plastic dosent biodegrade" thing is bullshit. it gets broken down by acid and natural processes like anything else. and once it has been broken down again, its useless. just because a video tells you something dosent make it true, spend a few minutes googling the FACTS involved instead of taking peoples words as fact.
@@FingerinUrDaughter And what you say is far from factual and thorough.
@@jojolafrite90 plastic+worm=C02
Tree+C02=air
Since worms break it down to little balls and that ball is carbon and trees eat the carbon that means.
Plant more trees and the problem will be solved
This is missing any relevant information. After having watched this video I have not learned anything about plastics or about enzymes that can break them down. Just statements like we SHOULD do this and we should avoid this other thing but nothing substantiated. I would have loved to learn about different kinds of plastics (they are not all the same) and what those enzymes or worms break it down into.
EXACTLY.
I hope people don’t see this as an excuse to buy even more plastic products
2:17 - that is not plastic, it is bottle made of hemp and that's why it degraded in 80 days. Plastic needs 1000s of years to degrade. If that was plastic what you showed, our problem would be already solved.
I kinda want to see an update on this. I wonder how far they have come in the last 9 months
Probs haven’t made any progress
@@calklobuchar Bribes under the table I assume
This is great and all, but we need to stop using plastic as much as possible.
Agreed
Honestly not really viable as people wont stop.
impossible and never will
Many people WILL use as little plastic as possible. Just looks like y'all are making excuses. It's really not that hard to reduce your plastic usage. All it takes is minimal will.
@@davidavni5634 I get what you're saying. What's being ignored here is what I'm saying. I never said "stop using plastic at all." Use LESS plastic. Like, fill your own water at home. I always have quart mason jars with water. I never buy bottled water. There's plastic lids on my mason jars because they're far better than the metal ones but I don't have to buy new ones every day. I make an effort to avoid products with extra packaging. I often turn down a bag at the store if I don't need it.
It's not an all or nothing thing. Just try to be conscious of things. We don't have to intentionally destroy our own habitat.
This reminds me on Dexters Laboratory when he made Timmy the termite that eats metal lol
That sounds like the worst idea ever
@@Krawurxus It was a kids' show...
@@PastaCouch So what?
I'm just sitting here pondering the disastrous implications of someone creating a fast-breeding insect that can devour metal at the same speed normal termites do wood.
It'd literally be the end of civilization 🤣
I didn't noticed??
@@Krawurxus not the end of civilization. The plausible end of Modern civilization but humans will carry on
What are the consequences of eating plastic filled worms for their predators?
Also considering the ammount of plastic to get rid of, isn't their a risk of the specie becoming invasive?
If it's the same as humans...cancer and hormonal imablances
They'll be fine, and hey our planet will be cleaner!
Maybe just do it in isolated area? No?
I'm afraid this embrionic stage technology may become an exuse to keep using disposable plastic, or even using it more.
I saw this as an ad on “Our Changing Climate” and I actually almost cried a little. I didn’t know that worms were eating the plastic... I knew bacteria had been discovered, but not worms. I’m so overjoyed.
Thank you, we're glad we were able to cause so much joy. Subscribe and spread the word!
@@DWPlanetA tbh, worm is a better alternative
Plastic eating bacteria could be on our hand and we don't always clean our hand nicely. There's always a little bacteria survivor. and if they go into our stomach, we doom. Theirs microplastic in our pee. (Idk if it's true, if it isn't, then my sentence is just a waste of time)
Won’t that affect the food chain? The concentration of micro plastic found in blood would increase?
same, I only knew about bacteria
The enzymes were first found in JAPAN in 2016 (I read the news myself at that time). Saying that Federica 'discovered' the worms in 2017, is implying that she was the first ever person to chance upon this revolutionary way to recycle plastic (yes, worms and enzymes are different, but the enzymes inside the worm were already known).
A bit of a 'kill steal' if u ask me.
There is also the larvae of the wax moth which has been said to be able to digest plastic
You know how white people always like taking credit for themselves lol
It's true that bacteria where found in Japan for the first time. Federica was the first one to find to these worms though.
Ain't they??
If the worms are a reliable source of the bacteria, then their discovery is a separate achievement, worthy of recognition.
This channel simply amazes me every time I watch a video. Congratulations guys for all the work, the editing, all the presenters have an amazing diction... All love from BRASIL 🖖
This channel is beautiful indeed! Keep the good job DW!!!
Dude just released a jar of plastic eating worms in his backyard
Don't miss next week's episode on invasive species.
12 Monkeys
Would love to see an update video on this, super cool
I am so glad that DW liked this comment. It's must mean good news.
@@AP-ex6qz I certainly hope so (:
A better solution is to stop making and using non-degradable plastics.
That means we have to make non-degradable plastic illegal which could cause an uproar and economical collapse. Literally, the biggest reason why we still have this problem is because we have to compromise with those companies.
Everything made out of wood, stone, and metal are much more expensive and labor intensive.
The world economy will crash.
@@dfquartzidn6151 ah, yes, let all civilization collapse so that the companies don't collapse
And the worms will go extinct. Well thank you for that.
Why isn't this idea more wide spread by now? We need plastic solutions and this is one
Beautiful 🤩 But bear in mind that these worms aren’t decomposing plastic, they are making it available to reuse in new plastic products. The plastic still remains in the environment. Please consider reducing consumption.
Yeah I think the best thing would be to cut out disposable plastic. Plastics in engineering is irreplaceable but do I really need my plastic toothbrush wrapped in plastic?
@@patmccall4647 Toothbrushes don’t even need to be plastic either 🤷🏽♀️ there are wooden ones
@Isnsn Cjdjw I already do lol
I remember in the second grade we had meal worms as a science project. They turned into Beatles. I’m just wondering what would happen if we introduced them on a massive scale and what would that do to our environment as well? I guess I’ll have to keep watching the video. This is so interesting and I love it.
Invasive species are never a good idea, it'd be a lot better to collect the plastic and put it into vats with the enzymes found within the mealworms.
@@mrlancetnik5383 You seem to not understand, I'm worrying about the impacts they could have on native insects filling the same niche, or what if they're too good at eating certain native plants, just cause some animals can and will eat them doesn't stop their capability of overtaking an ecosystem.
@@mrlancetnik5383 Exactly, it's a solution that wouldn't work in nature, that's what I was saying. Hence why I said it'd be better to bring the plastic into a processing facility.
they will get in your house and start eating everything that is plastic.
Imagine your pets turning into a human band
History has shown that when we try to do this sort of thing, it gets out of hand and wrecks havoc on the eco system. Gypsy moths, certain fish species to name a couple.
If you find this interesting you should think about buildong a Worm Composting System. They are smaller than you think and you can help prevent food scraps going to the landfill
What difference does that make? Food quickly decomposes in a landfill.
@@SirKolass "What difference"? "In a landfill". You said it.
@@lcs_myr Again, what's the problem?
@@SirKolass There are several perspectives from where I see problems with it. 1. It fills up your bin. There are countries in which you have to pay your trash bin. So saving space is actually saving money in some cases. 2. Compost is rich in nutrients, minerals and life. Throwing compost in a landfill is a waste of rich organic material that regenerates and revives all kinds of soils. We honestly have a huge problem with losing top soil and fertile land through the industrial agriculture in a scale that leads to desertification even in moderate climates already. 3. In landfills all kinds of toxic chemicals accumulate. Trust me, I had contact with engineering students who worked and researched around these issues. So, the rich organic material gets polluted by all kinds of toxins so that you are not able to get something useful out of it easily. 4. I am not sure if you are gardening. But I tell you, to start plants, I have not found something better yet than a mix of clay, charcoal, ashes and compost that went through a worm composting system.
@@lcs_myr We don't have to pay for the bin in my country.
I do gardening, however I just throw the organics on the soil. The only organics I have in my bin are few dinner leftovers when there is any.
If you don't do gardening and you don't pay for the bin there is no reason for a worm composting however.
What worries me are the the things that don't decompose like plastic, those are the things that cause trouble in a landfill, not organics. Recycling is the way.
2036: Warms become global invasive species
They are already in many ecosystems - these worms are just a bb beetle!
@@ShowAndTool you don't introduce 5000 extra insect into the wild unless your fishing for problems.
Ecosystems are not made of magic
And humans have a bad track record introducing incerting animals in the eco system
@@sownheard sorry o wasn't clear, I agree very much that it is a problem to introduce them. I just meant we already messed up and did that! Mealworms are commonly introduced to new areas with shipment of cereal crops and stuff and then became established household nuisance pests in the area I'm in, but presumably in warmer climates have a greater impact on the ecosystems beyond people's pantry's
@Joel Roy it's Gonna be wormageddon👻😖🤣
They could be our Meal Ticket out of this mess. But the best approach is probably piece-Meal.
First I’ve heard of this. The answer is still for companies to drastically reduce plastic production from the start though. We need extreme guidelines on what types and how much plastic can be produced. Certain things such as Coke bottles should only be legal if they are recycle. All the drink companies would be on the same playing level because consumers would be paying $10 A bottle whether it’s Pepsi or Coke. OR we could buy a tin can for $1.
Easy solution. Bio-id the plastics so they're always traceable back to the factory by law. And then charge them cleanup costs. As soon as it becomes more profitable to not use plastics they'll switch. There's no logic on earth that can defend further use.
"more colorfull than before"
ancient greece: *now this look like a job for me*
Great video, i raised mealworms and used them to biodegrade styrofoam as a science proyect, i dint even know this was something very new!.
While they do eat styrofoam it is true that having a lot of worms eating plastic is not a realistic solution to solve the problem.
Still the use of enzymes to solve the problem is something really interesting. I find it very likely that soon in the future we will see those enzyme reactors to biodegrade plastics.
@Clarissa 1986 you can’t eat the worms though how does it produce more food
What can help is holding major plastic and oil corporations responsible and to stop producing plastic as a necessity item for everything.
I was really waiting to hear about how we were gonna clean our oceans, cause that's one problem we really don't know how to solve. Worms eating plastic in landfills, even though it might be a decent solution, I believe is more a cool novel idea rather than a sustainable solution. The scale of which we'll need to produce worms or bacteria is staggering, and what if it were to become commonplace and start degrading plastic in use. The best we have is to simply recycle or burn. Besides the toxic smoke, which we can filter, the co2 contents of digestion is the same as incineration, generally speaking at least.
Fascinating! I had no idea. Thank you.
I saw someone making diesal from plastic! That’s very useful
Cool video! Glad I found this channel.
Thank you, we're glad you liked it. Subscribe for more and spread the word 😉!
7:17
In many countries, there are no landfills. The govt burns the trash in incinerators. Very efficient incinerators can double as power plant.
@@vortexian2390 Yes.
Its so kind that they ship these worms in plastic bag so they can have snacks for the trip.
Faith restored in humanity 🙏
There is a polystyrene box in the disused plot next to our house and, when I first saw what was left of it, I noticed that it was full of small holes as though something had been eating holes in it, just as insects eat into plants. Maybe this is what is happening here too.
Wait until birds start discover this new dish
@Lobo Cachondo nice troll
Wait, After everything the experts said he just releases non--native insects into the environment?
maan this sounds like the start of an apocalypse movie, i hope it stays in movies
Wow the editing on this video is superb
If you starve them from eating anything ... They will surely Eat something
Now its time for the scientist to 'modify' them to like eating plastic!
@Lobo Cachondo trust me if I put you in there for 10 days you will do the same 😂😂
What if birds or other animals eat them and they find a way back into our bodies? More research needs to be done but it’s definitely an interesting topic.
@@djcheckmate1 bio accumulation ....it definitely will
I had a great respect for this channel. I never thought that this channel would end this clip by saying "the worms have started living with plastics and we should learn to do the same.". I did not expect this from DW Channel.
Sounds like they lost hope lol
Stupid question:
Do the worms/enzymes and all that actually break the plastic molecules to normal bioelements or does this just make the big piece of plastic go out of sight and in the end just worsen the situation we have: plastic would literally be everywhere but we just cant see it anymore? eg 25 percent of drinking water would consist of plastic.
The question is not stupid, the video is for not discussing it.
25% you mean 0.25%
@@NoName-cx3gk No, in that random example, which is to make clear what i mean by the question, i wrote 25 percent.
You should go and get your vision and comprehension skills checked.
It’s an important video and knowledge to share with the world thank you!
they are kind of cute like us. I would not like to have them living in my house but they might be more skilled than most of us solving the plastic pollution crisis
and my budgerigars like to eat them in air dried form sometimes.
Kardashians watching that 👁 👄 👁
🤣🤣
omg im buying these right now, John is so happy honestly a mood
I loved it ! All the contain was wonderfull. Thanks
Several countries in Europe burn waste plastic in large incinerators, producing heat and energy in the process. That process actually does turn the plastic back into its base components: Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, chloride....
They also release dangerous chemicals
@@mandmsmapper8400 True, but you can filter most of them out. Incinerator exhaust is tested for compliance with environmental regulations.
I’m hoping there’s no side effects to the worms eating plastic. That and they actually prefer eating other things over plastic things cuz then it’s a bit sad realising they probably won’t be able to do much help
I thought the problem with plastics is economical, since the waste is so expensive to recycle, which it can, but making it from oil and gas is so much cheaper.
Literally the plot of 'Maggots: The Record'.
"you're free now!"
the bird in the tree above "yeah so is my next meal"
do these mealworms actually complete their life cycle on a foam diet?
Very interesting topic and can be a problem solving strategy in the future.
This is truly amazing omg
The birds are going to love those worms
How "Stop Making Plastic" WOULD solve our plastic pollution problem.
This
Sure
This documentary feels incomplete.
caz it's a clickbait.
termites can also eat plastic, tried with a malch from my garden that covers their house, on top of the plastic is a wood, they made holes, big holes
what is the by product / waste form the worms?
these are the youtube channels which deserve 100 million subs and yet we have rather useless channels sitting at the top
True
Their other channles have alot of subs doe
Amazing! Everyone should know!
I remember we had mealworms in our class. We had a project to take care of the worms until it grew into beetles
Creating low grade plastic for which we can easily produce enzymes to degrade and then reuse can also be an interesting option
That styrofoam cube was not really much smaller than before
Exactly this video is propaganda for plastic company's so they don't face regulations.
"Why act now if the problem is solved in the future"
The logistics behind a plastic insect recycling farm sounds insane.
Let alone implement it world wide.
I think my dog can eat more plastic than these useless worms..🤣🤣🤣
@@hansalas I think the difference is that the worms might actually break down the plastic in a meaningful way, while when your dog eats it, it is still just plastic inside your dog.
Or, at least I hope that is the case! :D
@@sownheard The logistics might seem insane, but don't let that dissuade you tho. If it works, then it should be implemented. Even world wide, since it is a world wide problem.
I think that missed the point. They talked about bioreactors making bacteria and enzymes that are inside the worms that break down plastic, not necessarily the worms themselves as a solution to the problem.
It may not be a viable solution, but one people are exploring.
It’s not going to do ANYTHING unless we STOP wasting plastic. Otherwise we would need so many of those worms that the amount of plastic eaten outweighs the amount of plastic being wasted which is very unlikely!
It was cute to see the little mealworms beating released to save the environment.
Indeed a good approach.
Lol wait mealworm beetles are pests. that's the equivalent of releasing an army of baby rats in your yard.
Not quite. Mealworms are NOT an invasive specie.
@@ChristianCaurla I think they are common everywhere but the beetles are still pests. Like rats
@@ChristianCaurla I take it back. They are pests if you have to deal with grains. But just decomposers if that’s bit an issue for you. So it’s fine I guess
You need tons and tons of them and it will get out of hand will quick
from what I understood the idea is to replicate their enzymes, not use the worms
@@yuriwaki2582 you will still need alot of worms to get rid if plastic garbage
@@yuriwaki2582 that's the right answer. You just replicate the enzymes.
What do they poop though after eating plastic?
Damn some birds became happy when he left the scene
Wow! What a great story! Excellent video! I love the comment that we don’t need to stop using plastic, we just need to know how to use it properly.
I love mealworm why? They feed my Tarantula
😂
sadly not enough info on the worms and the chemical process. I was hoping to find out more about it.
Is there any nutrion in plastic for the worms?
The amount of times you said “worms” is too much, they’re BEETLES!
Well, if we're gonna nitpick, they are beetle larvae 😉👍
"It's a design problem... we're using plastic to make stupid conveniences"
Karens: where will I drink water from if it doesn't come in a plastic bottle? I need hydrated y know
My lizard just cares about how tasty the worms look
You what i love about this video - the American accent had subtitles :D
@Lobo Cachondo most people eat bugs and worms. In grain products, parasites in meat and fish, even in chocolate
Mealworms are also available in most pet stores. A lot of fish and lizard Keepers feed their animals with them
what? feed them with plastics?
I have a hypothesis. Nature is very adaptable, and organisms are adaptable as well. With the principal of natural selection, I believe that in the future, more microbes will evolve the ability to break down plastic, and use it as it's carbon source. But until that happens, we must be careful.
Children: grandpa look at these warms I found
Grandpa: ah the good old days
He would say it as he held a grenade full of plastic eating worms
Useful for environment
Amazing Video, you got a sub from me! I am curious to what is the nutritional value of plastic? These enzymes are breaking up the plastic polymers to its core components, so simple carbon atoms, so that's below any 'nutritional' structures like that of a protein or carbohydrate so how do the worms utilise it? Does that make sense? haha. It is 1am right now so I could just be being really dumb right now! Secondly, if we've identified it's an enzyme within the worm couldn't we extract the enzyme properties from within the worm and recreate it in a lab or harvest the bacteria and grow it in a lab? Thanks!
That's a good question! The team found: larvae will eat polystyrene, though perhaps understandably, they prefer not to. The mealworms ate about a quarter of the foam, converting some of it to CO2 at a rate that increased throughout the experiment. At 16 days, they had converted 48% of the carbon they had eaten into CO2 and excreted 49% in their feces. Only 0.5% was incorporated into the worms’ bodies-comparable to the small amount of carbon termites absorb when eating wood.
@@DWPlanetA Thanks for replying, I really appreciate it. As a biology grad this has naturally caught my curiosity. So lastly, the 49% in the faces, are they broken up and now useable molecules or are those too microplastics and ultimately left with the original problem of not being bale to break up plastics? Thank you once again!
Dear KelloVG, this is a really good question, too! Maybe this helps: The compounds in the mealworms’ fecal matter had 20% lower molecular weight on average than the original polymers, indicating the polystyrene was degraded in their guts. Yang and his team also showed that microbes in the mealworms’ guts were responsible for breaking down the polystyrene. When they gave the worms the antibiotic gentamicin, the polystyrene in their fecal matter no longer showed degradation. 🐛 If you want to know more details, check out the study: pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.5b02661?source=cen
@@DWPlanetA I appreciate you! :)
This is the FUTURE!!
Do they get nutritional value out of it?
I especially liked the ending
Completely wrong message... The amount of plastics produced and dumped on daily basis is way way too much for worms. They just poked few holes and not eating it. Just imagine if you are left hungry with some grass clipings you may endup eating a few ones to rid hunger same way these worms are doing.
You clearly did not understood the message, they are trying to get the enzyme of the worm that is eating the plastic and produce it on an industrial level
The kardashians: guess we'll die
Why those worms you recieved cant eat the plastic when they transported?
My question is: how do we work to scale the safer plastic and related research/creation of better alternatives? Can you guys list the places we can invest in to scale it up? I think we can definitely do it, but we gotta work together. I wonder if we could build a community to reject very specific companies and such that are making things work, and invest in the companies that are contributing. I wonder about, if the bugs are breaking them down, does it make them toxic for the animals that eat them?