Deep in the Amazon rainforest, researchers discovered *Pestalotiopsis microspora*, a rare fungus with an extraordinary appetite: it can eat polyurethane, a common plastic used in everything from insulation to footwear. Even more astonishing, it does this without oxygen—thriving in environments like landfills where most life struggles.
Now studied in environmental labs worldwide, this fungus breaks down plastic by secreting enzymes that dismantle long polymer chains. Unlike many biodegradation processes, this doesn’t just shred the plastic—it metabolizes it completely, turning it into organic matter. Scientists are exploring ways to scale this process into bioreactors or even sprayable enzyme solutions.
In the lab, petri dishes show the fungus spreading over plastic fragments, leaving behind soft, earthy residue. It's a natural recycler evolved in one of Earth’s most biodiverse regions—and it might become a key ally in cleaning our planet.
This isn’t science fiction. It’s nature fighting back—with fungus.
Now studied in environmental labs worldwide, this fungus breaks down plastic by secreting enzymes that dismantle long polymer chains. Unlike many biodegradation processes, this doesn’t just shred the plastic—it metabolizes it completely, turning it into organic matter. Scientists are exploring ways to scale this process into bioreactors or even sprayable enzyme solutions.
In the lab, petri dishes show the fungus spreading over plastic fragments, leaving behind soft, earthy residue. It's a natural recycler evolved in one of Earth’s most biodiverse regions—and it might become a key ally in cleaning our planet.
This isn’t science fiction. It’s nature fighting back—with fungus.
