Scientists make breakthrough plastics discovery after inventing 'self-destructing' material that leaves no trace of microplastics

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Scientists in China have engineered a revolutionary "living plastic" embedded with bacteria that can self-destruct on command, leaving no microplastic residue behind.The breakthrough, announced today by researchers at the Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, represents a potential solution to the mounting global crisis of persistent plastic waste.Their findings, published in the journal ACS Applied Polymer Materials, demonstrate how two specially modified bacterial strains can reduce the material to its fundamental components within just six days.Conventional plastics can remain in the environment for centuries, despite the fact that many products are intended for single-use applications, such as packaging.

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