People around the world use more than a trillion plastic bags every year. They're made of a notoriously resilient kind of plastic called polyethylene that can take decades to break down. But the ...

Science is riddled with lucky accidents and accidental discoveries. The most recent: A scientist and an amateur beekeeper accidentally discovered that wax worms, which normally feast on beeswax and ...

Two substances in the saliva of wax worms — moth larvae that eat wax made by bees to build honeycombs — readily break down a common type of plastic, researchers said on Tuesday, in a potential advance ...

A molecule found in wax-worm saliva has been found to break down one of the most-polluting forms of plastic without the need for high energy inputs. The study, published in Nature Communications and ...

Wax worms can eat through plastic bags. No one's quite sure how yet, but the finding is an exciting one that comes through unconventional means. Federica Bertocchini is a biologist at Spain's ...

The search for new solutions to the growing problem of plastic pollution has led scientists to some interesting places that include the soils of a Japanese recycling center and the guts of superworms.

Two enzymes found in wax worm saliva are capable of degrading the durable material polyethylene. Polyethylene is used in a range of diverse products worldwide. Researchers said the two enzymes are the ...

WASHINGTON, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Two substances in the saliva of wax worms - moth larvae that eat wax made by bees to build honeycombs - readily break down a common type of plastic, researchers said on ...

The larvae of Galleria mellonella, commonly known as a wax worm, is able to biodegrade plastic bags. People around the world use more than a trillion plastic bags every year. They're made of a ...