Two young scientists break down plastics with bacteria
Once it's created, plastic (almost) never dies. While in 12th grade Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao went in search of a new bacteria to biodegrade plastic -- specifically by breaking down phthalates,...
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Miranda Wang: We're here to talk about accidents. How do you feel about accidents? When we think about accidents, we usually consider them to be harmful, unfortunate or even dangerous, and they certainly can be. But are they always that bad? The discovery that had led to penicillin, for example, is one of the most fortunate accidents of all time. Without biologist Alexander Fleming's moldy accident, caused by a neglected workstation, we wouldn't be able to fight off so many bacterial infections. Jeanny Yao: Miranda and I are here today because we'd like to share how our accidents have led to discoveries. In 2011, we visited the Vancouver Waste Transfer Station and saw an enormous pit of plastic waste. We realized that when plasti...
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Miranda Wang: We're here to talk about accidents. How do you feel about accidents? When we think about accidents, we usually consider them to be harmful, unfortunate or even dangerous, and they certainly can be. But are they always that bad? The discovery that had led to penicillin, for example, is one of the most fortunate accidents of all time. Without biologist Alexander Fleming's moldy accident, caused by a neglected workstation, we wouldn't be able to fight off so many bacterial infections. Jeanny Yao: Miranda and I are here today because we'd like to share how our accidents have led to discoveries. In 2011, we visited the Vancouver Waste Transfer Station and saw an enormous pit of plastic waste. We realized that when plasti...
