Caterpillars love plastic or can solve the global problem of plastic bag pollution.

A moth larvae farmed as bait love particularly hard-to-degrade plastic, in the hope that the creature will help solve the global plastic bag pollution problem.
Scienters put the larvae in plastic bags for their consumption (AFP) French media said that scientists released a report on the 24th, a cultured bait moth larvae love to eat particularly difficult to degrade plastic, people hope that this creature can help solve the global plastic bag pollution problem.
"This discovery could be an important tool to help remove the polyethylene plastic waste that accumulates in landfills and oceans," said University of Cambridge professor Paul Bonberry, co-author of the paper published in the semi-monthly journal Current Biology, AFP reported on April 24.
reported that polyethylene accounts for 40% of Europe's plastic demand, mainly for packaging and shopping bags.
these things can take years to biodegrade, and failure to recycle can pose a serious risk to the environment, especially to marine life.
in the EU, 38% of plastic is thrown in landfills.
the core of this discovery is the wax worm, the larvae of the moth.
before it became a caterpillar, the species was commercially farmed as a moth to provide bait and aquarium feeding.
moth is also a scourge of the beekeeping industry, laying eggs in the hives of hives.
findings were discovered by the home of the paper's first author, Federica Bertokini, a biologist at the Institute of Biomedical and Biotechnology in Cantavria, Spain.
beekeeping is her hobby.
"In the spring I cleaned the hives and prepared to use them again, and there were (wax) bugs in them, " the researcher told our reporter. "
" caterpillar's ability to eat surprised Bertokini, who and a team from the University of Cambridge decided to experiment to see how quickly the worm could eat plastic that was harmful to the environment.
they put hundreds of these tiny pale yellow creatures on top of a supermarket plastic bag.
less than 40 minutes before the hole began to form.
12 hours, the caterpillars ate 92 milligrams of plastic, much faster than fungi and bacteria.
tests, biologists confirmed that larvae can fully digest plastic meals and break down their chemical composition.
a similar result by applying the mashed caterpillar to a plastic bag, indicating that an enzyme or other compound was at work.
can destroy chemical bonds, perhaps in their salivary glands or in intestinal symbica, " says Bertokini.
" answer may lie in the insect's habitat and eating habits.
moth larvae grow in bees and feed on beeswax, which scientists believe may be similar to breaking down polyethylene.
" wax is a polymer, a 'natural plastic', the chemical structure and polyethylene are similar.
," Mr Bertoquini said.
it's not clear whether the plastic degrades a single enzyme or a combination of molecules.
but biologists want to identify and artificially grow the active ingredient.
millions of caterpillars crawling on plastic is not feasible," said Bertokini, a caterpillar.
" this plastic degradation material will be mass produced, theoretically in the form of environmentally friendly liquids, can be used in plastic treatment equipment.
.