Plastic-eating caterpillars could save the planet

MOST scientific research follows a logical progression, with one experiment following up on the findings of another. Every now and then, however, serendipity plays a part. Such is the case ...

Plastic-eating caterpillar could chomp landfill and litter

Butterfly larvae that feast on beeswax can also chow down on polyethylene shopping bags. Andrew Masterson reports.

Beekeepers’ nuisance could offer solution to our plastic problem

Plastic bags are a bane of modern life. As you read this, nearly two million of them are being used around the world right now. By the time the year is over, this number will probably ...

Plastic-eating caterpillar could munch waste

A caterpillar that munches on plastic bags could hold the key to tackling plastic waste, say scientists.

Plastic-munching caterpillars may show us how to dissolve waste

A chance discovery that honeycomb moth caterpillars can digest plastic means they could hold an enzyme that will break down some of our most persistent waste

Plastic Bags Are a Feast for This Caterpillar

A caterpillar that can eat plastic and produce an industrially useful compound while doing so could take a bite out of the global scourge of plastic trash, a new study finds. Plastics typically ...

Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting biodegradable solution to plastic pollution

Scientists have found that a caterpillar commercially bred for fishing bait has the ability to biodegrade polyethylene: one of the toughest and most used plastics, frequently found clogging ...

Plastic-eating caterpillars could help get rid of the world’s waste

Plastic is fantastic. It’s cheap, durable, and doesn’t react to the usual organisms that break down organic matter. This has made it incredibly useful for the packaging industry, ...

This beekeeper’s pest can actually eat plastic waste and turn it into something useful

The waxworm eats plastic faster than any other animal we know of.

Icky wax worms could offer solution biodegrading plastic bags - CNET

A simple worm commonly used as a fisherman's bait could be the key to getting rid of the plastic bags clogging landfills.

This Bug Can Eat Plastic. But Can It Clean Up Our Mess?

Stubborn plastic may have finally met its match: the hungry wax worm

Here’s a caterpillar that thinks plastic tastes fantastic. Scientists have discovered that the larvae of the wax moth will easily munch through a common plastic known as polyethylene, turning ...

This Caterpillar Can Eat Plastic Shopping Bags

In a chance discovery, a research team from Europe has learned that a common insect larva is capable of breaking down the plastic found in shopping bags and other polyethylene-based products. ...

This Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Plastic Bags

A wiggly, ravenous caterpillar — one that doesn't limit its diet to naturally grown objects — can biodegrade plastic bags, a material infamous for the amount of time it takes to decompose, ...

Plastic-eating caterpillar could remove the world's waste

Researchers from the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria in Spain found that wax worms can do serious damage to a plastic bag in less than an hour.

These caterpillars chow down on plastic bags

Animals A different kind of metamorphosis Plastic bags are nothing if not persistent, but waxworms might help us get rid of them once and for all. Read on.

This Caterpillar Could Aid in Ridding the World of Plastic Waste

Credit: Spanish National Research CouncilFive years ago, Federica Bertocchini was cleaning out her beehives at home in Santander in Northern Spain, including sweeping out wax ...

European Wax Worm Could Solve Our Plastic Bag Problem

NewsPlastic bags have become a kind of modern-day consumer addiction. A staggering 1 trillion are used by people each year. But a caterpillar bred as fishing bait may have a solution to the ...

Plastic-eating caterpillar could revolutionize waste treatment

The answer to our global plastic catastrophe may be in sight. Spanish researchers have discovered that the wax worm, a caterpillar known for munching on the wax within beehives, is able to devour ...

Scientists find commercial caterpillar capable of eating, processing plastic

Scientists have discovered a caterpillar capable of biodegrading polyethylene, one of the toughest and most commonly used plastics.

This caterpillar could be the key to biodegradable plastic

A species of caterpillar that typically consumes honey and the wax from beehives may be the answer to the growing problem of plastic waste, as new research has revealed that it can easily devour ...

Wax worm caterpillar will eat plastic shopping bags: New solution to plastic waste?

Generally speaking, plastic is incredibly resistant to breaking down. That's certainly true of the trillion polyethylene plastic bags that people use each and every year. But researchers may ...