World

Science continues to try to figure out the best ways to combat plastic pollution on the planet. Recently, researchers have discovered fungi that can recycle plastic in large natural accumulations of garbage.

For example, a number of fungi species feed on polymers, effectively destroying plastic utensils and other items.

The UK’s Royal Botanic Gardens described how they studied plastic waste accumulated in the coastal salt marshes of Dafeng (China), near the shores of the Yellow Sea. This natural area is protected by UNESCO.

The experts identified 55 species of bacteria and 184 species of fungi capable of breaking down a special type of plastic called polycaprolactone (PCL). Among them were the bacteria Jonesia and Streptomyces, which proved capable of breaking down several types of polymers derived from petroleum.

Pages: 1 2

Data from Drax shows that the United Kingdom has achieved unprecedented electricity generation from wind turbines in the first four three months of this year.

Such an achievement represents a huge step forward for a national grid that is transitioning to greener energy sources.

Research at Imperial College London shows that the country’s wind farms have generated more than twenty-four terawatt hours of energy, enough to fully charge more than 300 million Tesla electric cars.

Pages: 1 2

French authorities now prohibit domestic air travel if the route is short and can be traveled by rail in less than 150 minutes. The only exception will be transit flights.

The measures described are in line with the government’s strategy to promote more environmentally friendly transportation that leaves a smaller greenhouse gas footprint in the atmosphere.

The head of the French Ministry of Transport, Clement Bon, said in a television interview that the decision was the first of its kind on the planet.

Pages: 1 2

Synthetic meat is being touted by scientists as a way to save the Earth, but according to a new study, its mass production could harm the environment far more than farming. Currently, synthetic meat is only produced in small laboratories, but scaling up production could cause a 25-fold increase in emissions.

How is meat grown?

Muscle fibers are grown by taking a piece of tissue, no matter what animal the sample belongs to. The stem cells from the sample are then processed so that they mature faster. As a result, these cells form muscle fibers and edible tissue. But after that, endotoxins and waste products have to be removed, which is where most of the emissions come from.

Experts estimate that, with increased production, each kilogram of such food will produce 246-1508 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions.

Pages: 1 2

In the Nanjing Geography and Limnology Institute (China) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, specialists have been engaged in a comprehensive study of water bodies. The attention of scientists was drawn to 2.55 thousand lakes in the country, and the main goal was to find out with what regularities these water bodies change their color.

It turned out that in the western part of the country during the last forty years the lakes kept a purer blue shade, while in the east of the country green shade prevailed. The color changes of water bodies can be used to judge about the processes in the environment, including water quality and the state of ecology in general.

Pages: 1 2