not a martian, honest (@kyonshi.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy)

Plastic-eating bacteria discovered in the ocean Beneath the ocean’s surface, bacteria have evolved specialized enzymes that can digest PET plastic, the material used in bottles and clothes. Researchers at KAUST discovered that a unique molecular signature distinguishes enzymes capable of efficiently breaking down plastic. Found in nearly 80% of ocean samples, these PETase variants show nature’s growing adaptation to human pollution. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251104013023.htm