Plastic particles (red) are colonized by marine fungi Parengyodontium album
Annika Vaksma/NIOZ
Fungi that live on floating trash in the North Pacific Ocean are able to break down the most common types of plastic that end up in the ocean.
In laboratory experiments, Annika Vaksma Researchers at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research have shown that a white, filamentous fungus can effectively break down polyethylene, one of the most harmful plastics, if it is exposed to ultraviolet light, such as sunlight.
Ultraviolet rays…
Source: www.newscientist.com
