新奇事件簿 科学家发现喜欢吃塑料垃圾的毛毛虫（在线收听）

A natural solution to the growing crisis of plastic waste in the environment may be at hand. Researchers have discovered that a tiny caterpillar, commonly known as a waxworm, has a taste for plastic. Researchers from Cambridge University in the UK say that the waxworm devours plastic at "uniquely high speeds". They say that it is possible to utilize 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 enzymes in its saliva to break the plastic's chemical bonds. It might be possible one day to replicate these enzymes and spray them on waste to make it decompose. Another researcher said: "We are planning to implement this finding in a viable 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。”