Now Reading: Hawaii student finds coconut-husk fungi that break down plastic
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Hawaii student finds coconut-husk fungi that break down plastic
Hawaii high-school student Vera Wang has found naturally occurring fungi in coconut husks that can biodegrade plastic and sunscreen compounds, according to University of Hawaiʻi News, as reported by The Times of…
The Story in Brief
Hawaii high-school student Vera Wang has found naturally occurring fungi in coconut husks that can biodegrade plastic and sunscreen compounds, according to University of Hawaiʻi News, as reported by The Times of India. Wang began the project in Grade 10, using coconut waste in a filter designed to trap microplastics and sunscreen from seawater. She later studied whether microbes in the husks could also break down the captured pollutants.
Working in Anthony Amend’s laboratory at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Wang identified fungi that grew with plastic and sunscreen. Genetic tests found some species absent from a major reference database, suggesting they may be previously uncharacterised. Her project won first place in Microbiology and third place overall at the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair.
The Indian Opinion
The sweeping claim that this discovery has solved marine plastic pollution is premature. The work remains laboratory research, and scientists still need to identify the fungi, explain how they degrade pollutants and test whether the process works beyond controlled conditions. The opposite claim, that such findings are merely a school-project curiosity, is also too dismissive. The useful measure will be whether the fungi can break down pollutants safely and reliably outside the lab.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
