A new AI-made enzyme can devour plastics in hours instead of centuries

Here is a truth that you literally cannot run away from: plastic is, simply, everywhere.

From toothbrushes to disposable coffee lids, plastic has made its way into every part of our lives. It’s incredibly useful because it’s durable; however, the flip side is that it’s also really hard to get rid of, which is why it’ll continue to be a part of our lives for hundreds of years to come.

That’s because the chemical bonds in plastic materials are unfamiliar to bacteria in nature, which means there are no naturally occurring organisms capable of breaking them down effectively or at all.

Thankfully, scientists are working on that, and a novel synthetic enzyme developed with artificial intelligence may break down waste plastics in hours rather than the centuries it would take to…