Welcome to the ‘plastisphere’: the synthetic ecosystem evolving at sea

Ocean plastic has created a unique home for specialised organisms, from animals that travel on it to bacteria that eat' it

Plastic bottles dominate waste in the ocean, with an estimated 1m of them reaching the sea every minute. The biggest culprit is polyethylene terephthalate (Pet) bottles.

Last month, a study found two bacteria capable of breaking down Pet - or, as the headlines put it, eating plastic". Known as Thioclava sp. BHET1 and Bacillus sp. BHET2, the bacteria were isolated in a laboratory - but they were discovered in the ocean.