logo
episode-header-image
May 2019
9m 16s

This bacteria eats plastic | Morgan Vagu...

TED
About this episode

Humans produce 300 million tons of new plastic each year -- yet, despite our best efforts, less than 10 percent of it ends up being recycled. Is there a better way to deal with all this waste? Microbiologist Morgan Vague studies bacteria that, through some creative adaptations, have evolved the unexpected ability to eat plastic -- and could help us solve our growing pollution problem.**



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
How AI is unearthing hidden scientific knowledge | Sara Beery
<p>Scientists estimate that 80 percent of life on Earth is still unknown to humanity. But as global temperatures rise, habitats shrink and food and water sources dry up, we're losing these species faster than we can discover them. AI naturalist Sara Beery reveals how the knowledg ... Show More
14m 21s
Nov 24
How the fridge changed food | Nicola Twilley
<p>What if your kitchen fridge is just the tip of an iceberg that's reshaping the world? Food storyteller Nicola Twilley reveals how the massive “artificial Arctic” we built to keep our food fresh is simultaneously melting the real one. She shows why we're at a critical moment to ... Show More
13m 27s
Nov 23
Sunday Pick: How to love your hometown (w/ Hanif Abdurraqib & Sarah Kay) | How to Be a Better Human
<p>Loving where you live means caring for the people who make that place home, says cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib. He invites poet Sarah Kay and Chris Duffy, host of the podcast “How to Be a Better Human,” to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to show off what makes it so special ... Show More
15m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2021
Plastic Pollution - with Steve Backshall and Georgia May Jagger
“If you’ve eaten seafood, you’ve eaten plastic” It’s time to talk plastics. Every piece of plastic we consume stays in the environment for up to hundreds of years. The sheer scale of plastics in the environment are dramatically impacting ocean wildlife and human health. For this ... Show More
27m 8s
Jul 2022
Women tackling the global plastic crisis
<p>Two women confronting the dangers of plastic pollution talk to Kim Chakanetsa. They’re sounding the alarm and working on innovative solutions: from an island clear-up that collected 750,000 empty plastic bottles to reducing microplastics in the air and waterways.</p><p>Estrela ... Show More
27m 41s
Dec 2022
The Myth of Plastic Recycling
For many, recycling feels like a tangible way to personally combat climate change and to positively affect the environment. But after a years long investigation, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan finds that reality is generally the opposite: Only a small fraction of plastic is ult ... Show More
13m 48s
Jun 2024
Microplastics are everywhere. What can we do about it?
<p>With every breath you take, you could be inhaling microplastics. Today, we talk about where they come from, how they impact our health and what we can do to avoid them in our daily lives.</p><p><br></p><p>Read more:</p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background ... Show More
21m 15s
Mar 2024
Plastics Greenium Boosts Chemical Recycling Outlook
With plastic production set to double by 2050, immediate action is needed to address plastic waste pollution and the inefficiencies of existing recycling systems. Chemical recycling could help process lower-grade feedstocks, significantly upping the amount of plastic that can be ... Show More
26m 20s
Jul 2017
Is it Time to Ban the Plastic Bottle?
Every single second, 20,000 single-use drinking bottles are sold around the world. That is more than a million pieces of non-biodegradable rubbish produced every minute. And as demand grows in developing economies, so will the mountains of waste, with much of it ending up in the ... Show More
23m 35s