voluble comments on Scientists use bacteria to turn plastic waste into paracetamol

[–] voluble@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Great idea for a story!

Maybe it starts by inadvertently being introduced into a plumbing system. It eats PTFE, opening all plumbing joints, & spreading itself from there.

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[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 3 points 1 year ago (1 child)

Because of the proliferation of micro plastics in the water, soil, and organic life, we can't get rid of it. Every human infected with it gets much healthier, because their micro plastics are broken down, but are then seem as a threat vector for spreading it.

Meanwhile, the earthworms and animals are spreading it through our forests and wild lands.

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[–] voluble@lemmy.ca 1 point 1 year ago*

There would be an interesting asymmetry too, where, in the short term, the value of paper banknotes and coins would get massively inflated as polymer banknotes and payment cards would be quickly destroyed. In the medium term, PCBs would degrade and computing would be impossible, digital money would also go away.

Chaos and looting would happen probably within the first week. In dense urban areas, mass death from dehydration and starvation would happen soon after, cities would quickly become unlivable. Access to firearms without any polymer parts would be a massive survival advantage.

Oops, forgot that I'm posting in the positive news community haha. But, an interesting thought experiment!

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