Image Credit: "Spore di Pestalotiopsis microspora" by MSchink - Mushroom Observer © CC BY-SA 3.0

Plastic may soon be added to the food chain. The edible fungi, Pestalotiopsis microspora (spore photo seen above), not only breaks down plastics, but can do so in an oxygen-free environment.[1] It is scary to imagine how much plastic waste the world has accumulated. Combine this thought with the knowledge that plastics take over a 150 years to naturally break down. Scary! This interesting fungi was found on a field trip to the Amazon by students from Yale University. From waste to food, could this fungi eventually help solve a major world problem?[2]