Microbes learned to make healthy fats out of plastic in lakes

Plastic waste takes a long time to decompose, which worries scientists. However, researchers

have not yet fully studied the possible typesbiodegradation of plastic, so it is possible that some microorganisms will be able to cope with the problem. Scientists have recently discovered a new candidate for the role of “orderly.”

Biologists from the University of Jyväskylä in Finlandstated that microbes in humic lakes can create omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from microplastics. Scientists found this out by observing the movement of polyethylene in nature. The carbon isotope labeling method helped them in this.

Humic lakes are called such reservoirs, inof which humic acids themselves, formed during the decomposition of dead plants, predominate among organic substances. Microbes, of course, participate in this process. Scientists were interested to know whether these same microorganisms could cope with plastic. As it turned out, the assumption was correct.

Fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6, are necessary for the normal functioning of the human body.