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Podcast: Finding Genius Podcast
Episode: Plastic Waste Predators: Harnessing Nature to Combat Global Plastic Pollution
Description: Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of biodegradation with Professor Ramani Narayan of Michigan State University, an expert on polymer science and the interaction between microbes and plastics. Discover how bacteria and fungi use carbon as a vital source of food and energy, and what’s stopping them from consuming accumulated environmental plastic waste. In this episode, we explore: The function of biofilms as microbial habitats versus substrates in biodegradation The complexities of extracting and consuming carbon from common plastic materials — why is it so challenging for bacteria? What influences bacteria to consume one m...