6533b856fe1ef96bd12b1d65
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Polyethylene bio-degradation by caterpillars?
Till OpatzStefan PuschCarina Webersubject
0301 basic medicinechemistry.chemical_classificationWaxInsectaPolymer sciencePolymersfungiPolymerBio degradationBiologyPolyethyleneBiodegradationMothsGeneral Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology03 medical and health scienceschemistry.chemical_compound030104 developmental biologyBiodegradation EnvironmentalchemistryPolyethylenevisual_artBotanyvisual_art.visual_art_mediumAnimalsGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciencesdescription
In their recent paper on the degradation of polyethylene by caterpillars of the wax moth Galleria melonella, Bombelli et al.[1] report various experiments, including microscopic and spectroscopic data which the authors believe support the chemical digestion of the polymers by these insects. While the biodegradation of mostly inert artificial polymers is definitely a very interesting research field, we must respectfully disagree with the methodology and conclusions from this paper.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-08-09 | Current biology : CB |