新奇事件簿 科学家发现喜欢吃塑料垃圾的毛毛虫

A natural solution to the growing crisis of plastic waste in the environment may be at hand. Researchers have discovered that a tiny caterpillar¹, commonly known as a waxworm, has a taste for plastic. Researchers from Cambridge University in the UK say that the waxworm devours² plastic at "uniquely high speeds". They say that it is possible to utilize³ this environmentally-friendly solution to global waste on an industrial scale. Millions of waxworms could be bred to spend their days breaking down and consuming plastic bags, bottles, household items and other discarded waste. Around a trillion plastic bags end up in landfills around the world each year. They take centuries to biodegrade.

针对环境中不断加剧的塑料垃圾危机的自然解决方案可能即将出炉。研究人员发现，一种微小的名叫蜡虫的毛毛虫喜欢吃塑料。来自英国剑桥大学的研究人员表示，蜡虫可以以“非常快的速度”吞食塑料。他们说，可以以工业化的规模使用这种环保方案解决全球垃圾。可以培育数百万只蜡虫，专门用于降解和消耗塑料袋，塑料瓶，生活用品和其他垃圾。每年有数万亿个塑料袋被丢到世界各地的垃圾填埋场。完全生物降解需要几个世纪的时间。

Researcher Dr Paolo Bombelli said: "It's extremely, extremely exciting because breaking down plastic has proved so challenging." He said the waxworm can break down a notoriously tough plastic like polyethylene more than 1,400 times faster than other organisms. The waxworm uses enzymes⁴ in its saliva⁵ to break the plastic's chemical bonds. It might be possible one day to replicate⁶ these enzymes and spray them on waste to make it decompose⁷. Another researcher said: "We are planning to implement⁸ this finding in a viable⁹ way to get rid of plastic waste, working towards a solution to save our oceans, rivers, and all the environment from the unavoidable consequences of plastic accumulation."

研究员Paolo Bombelli表示：“这是非常激动人心的消息，因为分解塑料是非常具有挑战性的工作。”他说，蜡虫分解非常坚固的聚乙烯等塑料的速度比其他生物快1400倍。蜡虫使用唾液中的酶来分解塑料中的化学链。或许有一天，科学家可以复制这种酶，喷洒在垃圾上，让垃圾降解。另外一名研究人员表示：“我们计划通过切实可行的方法来消除塑料垃圾，制定出挽救我们的海洋，河流和整个环境的解决方案，避免塑料垃圾不断累积的后果。”

 

1 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。

2 devours   

吞没( devour的第三人称单数 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. 若有人想要害他们，就有火从他们口中出来，烧灭仇敌。
• It eats away parts of his skin; death's firstborn devours his limbs. 他本身的肢体要被吞吃，死亡的长子要吞吃他的肢体。

3 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

4 enzymes   

n. 酶，酵素

参考例句：

• It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
• Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。

5 saliva   

n.唾液，口水

参考例句：

• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
• Saliva dribbled from the baby's mouth.唾液从婴儿的嘴里流了出来。

6 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

7 decompose   

vi.分解；vt.（使）腐败，（使）腐烂

参考例句：

• The eggs began to decompose after a day in the sun.鸡蛋在太阳下放了一天后开始变坏。
• Most animals decompose very quickly after death.大多数动物死后很快腐烂。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

9 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。