Karen Wooley, a Texas-based chemistry scientist, is using insect carcasses to develop plastics that will degrade naturally in the environment.
Karen Wooley, a Texas-based chemistry scientist, is using insect carcasses to develop plastics that will degrade naturally in the environment.
Polymer from black soldier flies seen as promising source as it has no other competing uses such as food
By now we're all aware of how damaging plastics are to our health, via the spread of microplastics in water. These particles are everywhere in nature now, and showing up in ever greater quantities in our bodies.
Surprisingly, this issue isn't being treated with more urgency. Perhaps because we've yet to find a truly horrifying example of what they'll do to humans. Recent research suggests they can cross the blood-brain barrier in human brains - perhaps something like that will be the wake-up call? Meanwhile, it's good to know people are working on alternatives.
How many flies to make one bowl?
I'm no insect carcass expert, but I'd guess roughly one bowl of flies.
Americans will measure in anything but the metric system.