Millions of years of evolution guide AI search for pollution-fighting enzymes

edited by Swati Mestri , reviewed by Robert Egan

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Add as preferred source Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Databases around the world contain information on millions upon millions of enzymes that have the potential to degrade pollutants like plastic. Scientists at Murdoch University's Bioplastics Innovation Hub are combining machine learning technology and biochemistry to identify which of these enzymes have the potential to break down plastic and other harmful pollutants.

Ph.D. candidate Joseph Boctor explains in his latest review, published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment , that the key to finding the right biological fit to combat each pollutant is likely hidden within existing data.