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 E-Mail Plastic is notoriously hard to break down, but researchers in Austria have found that bacteria from a cow's rumen - one of the four compartments of its stomach - can digest certain types of the ubiquitous material, representing a sustainable way to reduce plastic litter. The scientists suspected such bacteria might be useful since cow diets already contain natural plant polyesters. "A huge microbial community lives in the rumen reticulum and is responsible for the digestion of food in the animals," said Dr Doris Ribitsch, of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in ...

(Image credit: Getty/Marcel ter Bekke) Microbes fished from the stomachs of cows can gobble up certain kinds of plastic, including the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) used in soda bottles, food packaging and synthetic fabrics. Scientists uncovered these microbes in liquid that was drawn from the rumen, the largest compartment of a ruminant's stomach; ruminants include hooved animals like cattle and sheep, which rely on microorganisms to help break down their diet of coarse vegetation. The rumen acts as an incubator for these microbes, which either digest or ferment foods consumed by a cow o...

The all-natural breakthrough could have widespread environmental impacts by reducing plastic waste. (CN) — Plastics touch every aspect of our modern lives, containing and comprising many of the products we depend on every day. Because they’re hard to break down, plastics also poison the planet we depend on for life. Hoping to solve this dilemma, researchers in Austria have discovered that bacteria from a cow’s stomach can digest certain types of plastics — a breakthrough that could save the planet by reducing plastic waste. The bacteria in question is found in a cow’s rumen, one of ...