- Could the lowly meal worm
save future generations
from food scarcity in a
trash strewn wasteland?
Some new research
potentially paves the way
for our worm savior.
According to new research,
published in the journal
"Environmental Science and Technology",
the meal worm, the darkling
beetle's larval form,
can digest polystyrene products,
most notably styrofoam,
which we previously
considered non-biodegradable.
And by digest, yes, they mean
it can live on the stuff,
breaking the synthetic
polymer down in its gut,
and leaving behind only
a puff of carbon dioxide
in a trail of biodegradable worm poop.
Specifically, researchers at
Stanford's Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering
observed 100 meal worms
as they consumed between
34 and 39 miligrams of Styrofoam per day.
And afterwards, the wriggling
larva appeared just as healthy
as meal worms who don't eat
chemically engineered garbage.
The news is hopeful, but
it's not a home run yet.
The researchers plan to
study how this polystyrene
consumption impacts the
meal worm's environment
as well as exactly how
the meal worm's enzymes
break everything down.
Perhaps it will enable
scientists to engineer safer,
more powerful, polystyrene
degrading agents.
And my hope is that we
just genetically modify
ourselves to gobble up all those discarded
gas station coffee cups.
Meanwhile, the meal worm
continues to stand out
as a future protein source
for a crowded, hungry planet.
They're reportedly delicious in stir fry,
and they might just replace
beef as the go to meat
for the great American burger.
Insects are high in protein, after all,
and inexpensive to raise,
demanding a far smaller
environmental footprint
to put food on the table.
Just consider, but the year 2050,
the human population will
likely number 9.6 billion,
requiring a massive
increase in food production
to feed everyone.
And today, one out of
every nine persons doesn't
get enough to eat anyway.
According to the
United Nations Food and
Agricultural Organization,
annual meat production will need to rise
by over 200 million tons to provide the
470 million tons we need.
Insect meal can help us reach that number
without further transforming the world
into one big industrial feed line.
So will the meal worm
prove humanity's savior?
Is there a place for you in such a future?
Get in touch with use and let us know,
and if you are looking for more weird
scientific wonder, be
sure you check in over at
now.howstuffworks.com everyday.
