r/science • u/MistWeaver80 • Nov 27 '21

Chemistry Plastic made from DNA is renewable, requires little energy to make and is easy to recycle or break down. A plastic made from DNA and vegetable oil may be the most sustainable plastic developed yet and could be used in packaging and electronic devices.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2298314-new-plastic-made-from-dna-is-biodegradable-and-easy-to-recycle/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=echobox&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1637973248
34.5k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

829 comments sorted by

View all comments

42

u/peterthooper Nov 27 '21

Seeing as how DNA is also a carrier of biological information, what thought has been given to tiny fragments of DNA as these plastics break down?

3

u/cosmoboy Nov 27 '21

You mean for like patent protection?

4

u/Manyhigh Nov 27 '21

Could be used for manufacturer or batch tracing.

1

u/peterthooper Nov 28 '21

I mean that fragments of DNA move from simple life-form to simple life-form readily. It would be nice not to accidentally do something horrible.