Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Hail the humble...

...mealworm.

Apparently, mealworms - the larval form of the darkling beetle - may prove to be an important part of the solution to our plastic problem.

They eat styrofoam.

Not only that, but they can subsist entirely on styrofoam and other forms of polystyrene. And they produce, as a side effect...perfectly good soil.

Scientists are hoping to isolate the enzyme they use, but in the mean time, mealworms are actually quite edible - Chinese people eat them - although ones fed on styrofoam might not taste that great. They're more typically used as fishing bait and pet food, though.

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