Tuesday, 4 October 2022

Spit and Polish Off?

The Wax moth (Galleria melonella) lays its eggs in the hives of Honey bees. The emerging larvae, called 'wax worms', chomp away at the beeswax, from which the honeycomb is constructed. It's now been established that the wax worm's saliva contains an enzyme that, at room temperature, rapidly breaks down polyethylene (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/04/wax-worm-saliva-rapidly-breaks-down-plastic-bags-scientists-discover). There's a distinct possibility of using the wax worm's enzymes, to break down plastic bags. I guess that this was always likely, as the wax worm's diet has been no secret for decades? Biology has many solutions for human problems, if we know where to look.

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City 'Meadows'?

There are concerns about the dramatic declines, throughout Europe, in pollinator insect numbers. A study from Warsaw (Poland) has shown,...