Terrible news for people in a polyurethanecule.
You’ll often hear plastic pollution referred to as a problem. But the reality is that it’s multiple problems. Depending on the properties we need, we form plastics out of different polymers, each of which is held together by a distinct type of chemical bond. So the method we use to break down one type of polymer may be incompatible with the chemistry of another.
That problem is why, even though we’ve had success finding enzymes that break down common plastics like polyesters and PET, they’re only partial solutions to plastic waste. However, researchers aren’t sitting back and basking in the triumph of partial solutions, and they’ve now got very sophisticated protein design tools to help them out.
That’s the story behind a completely new enzyme that researchers developed to break down polyurethane, the polymer commonly used to make foam cushioning, among other things. The new enzyme is compatible with an industrial-style recycling process that breaks the polymer down into its basic building blocks, which can be used to form fresh polyurethane.
(I generally respect the hell out of Timmer’s writing, but opening consecutive grafs with “that” is lazy.)
Now, find an enzyme that can break down fossil fuel & plastic companies.
Collectiveactionase
<redacted>-oxidoreductase
John is Ars Technica’s science editor. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.
did he just skip his master’s degree or what? 😆
Masters was in underwater basketweaving, so he leaves it off his tagline.
Another concept aside from the ones given by the other comments is called masters in passing. PhD students just get it along the way.
For many of the SEAS doctoral programs at his Alma Mater, the Masters is built in, but I guess the UCBerk program lets you skip it.
i am just living in the european system, where you do 3 years for bc., another 2 for mgr., and another 3-4 for phd. they are discrete, clearly separated steps, which among others, allows you to do each of them in different school…
that americans just skip the masters is honestly surprise for me. one of yesterday’s 10 thousands, i guess.
Most universities in the US actually don’t have masters’ programs in the natural sciences. There are two ways people typically end up with masters degrees: dropping out of a PhD program, or writing an extra thesis in the 3rd year of your PhD.
If you’re not worried that you’ll decide to drop out of the PhD, there’s not much point doing the extra thesis and paperwork to get your masters.
oh well, americans. TIL. thanks for the answer.
During my undergrad I worked at a bio lab with a bunch of doctoral students, and only a small fraction of them had a master’s degree. A master’s degree isn’t required to enter a PhD program, and it isn’t useful unless it helps you achieve a specific career
So when can we start taking these enzymes like vaccines? I’d sure like to undo the damage done to me over years or plastic lobbying.
