Potential routes of plastics biotransformation involving novel plastizymes revealed by global multi-omic analysis of plastic associated microbes.

Despite increasing efforts across various disciplines, the fate, transport, and impact of synthetic plastics on the environment and public health remain poorly understood. To better elucidate the microbial ecology of plastic waste and its potential for biotransformation, we conducted a large-scale analysis of all publicly available meta-omic studies investigating plastics (n = 27) in the environment. Notably, we observed low prevalence of known plastic degraders throughout most environments, except for substantial enrichment in riverine systems.

Parallel deployment of passive and composite samplers for surveillance and variant profiling of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage.

Wastewater-based epidemiology during the COVID-19 pandemic has proven useful for public health decision-making but is often hampered by sampling methodology constraints, particularly at the building- or neighborhood-level. Time-weighted composite samples are commonly used; however, autosamplers are expensive and can be affected by intermittent flows in sub-sewershed contexts. In this study, we compared time-weighted composite, grab, and passive sampling via Moore swabs, at four locations across a college campus to understand the utility of passive sampling.

Fast and Facile Biodegradation of Polystyrene by the Gut Microbial Flora of Larvae.

Polystyrene (PS), which accounts for a significant fraction of plastic wastes, is difficult to biodegrade due to its unique molecular structure. Therefore, biodegradation and chemical modification of PS are limited. In this study, we report PS biodegradation by the larvae of the darkling beetle (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).