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Fooled!

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Shamara Brown Shamara 5375 Points

Scent is tied to memory. I know that when I smell a certain aroma, dinner is ready. I've been conditioned to know 'that" smell means food. But, what about animals? Apparently, there is a chemical given off by plastic that ends up in oceans. Yes, the chemical is called dimethyl sulfide. After being in the ocean awhile, plastic accumulates grime and bacteria. This sulfur like odor that is created, is reminiscent of the same gas that phytoplankton emit. Birds such as, albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, are fooled into thinking that food is nearby. The unsuspecting birds end up eating the harmful plastic.
Pamela Dupre Pamela Dupre 92369 Points

That's terrible. I knew about some of the dangers to ocean life caused by plastics but didn't know about the seabirds affected by plastics.

Angelica Lara Angelica Lara 1415 Points

That's sad, but we can not do anything about it except if we stop throwing plastic in the oceans. I never imagine that plastic in the ocean can be bad for the birds.

Pamela Dupre Pamela Dupre 92369 Points

And then there is this! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saltwater-brewery-edible-six-pack-rings-beer-plastic-marine-life_us_573b796ce4b0ef86171c5fe4 Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach, Florida, has created edible six-pack rings that feed, rather than kill, marine life if the rings end up in the ocean and an animal happens to eat it. The rings are created from beer by-products during the brewing process such as barley and wheat and are completely safe for humans and fish to eat.

Chance Duncan Chance Duncan 90 Points

I bet the answer will be multi-layered. Like Pamela shared, we can now create edible plastic substitutes. But, we can also use microbes that can degrade plastics: https://phys.org/news/2016-03-newly-bacteria-plastic-bottles.html I imagine, with a bit of genetic modification, those microbes could become a powerful tool to combat plastics already in the oceans.
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