Scientists in Britain and the United States have designed a substance that eats plastic. They believe that, in the future, it could help reduce pollution. The enzyme is able to break down polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. This form of plastic was patented in the 1940s. It is now used in millions of metric tons of plastic bottles. PET plastics can remain in the environment for hundreds of years. The plastics pollute large areas of land and water around the world. Researchers from Britain’s University of Portsmouth and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory made the discovery. They did so while examining the structure of a natural enzyme that is thought to have evolved in a waste recycling center in Japan.
Title: New Plastic-Eating Substance May Help Fight Against Pollution
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/eat_plastic.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='New Plastic-Eating Substance May Help Fight Against Pollution' data-article-id='3062'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='8979'>Scientists in Britain and the United States have designed a substance that eats plastic.</span> <span data-start-time='8979' data-end-time='15417'>They believe that, in the future, it could help reduce pollution.</span> <span data-start-time='15417' data-end-time='24188'>The enzyme is able to break down polyethylene terephthalate, or PET.</span> <span data-start-time='24188' data-end-time='29667'>This form of plastic was patented in the 1940s.</span> <span data-start-time='29667' data-end-time='36208'>It is now used in millions of metric tons of plastic bottles.</span> <span data-start-time='36208' data-end-time='43042'>PET plastics can remain in the environment for hundreds of years.</span> <span data-start-time='43042' data-end-time='50229'>The plastics pollute large areas of land and water around the world.</span> <span data-start-time='50229' data-end-time='62854'>Researchers from Britain’s University of Portsmouth and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory made the discovery.</span> <span data-start-time='62854' data-end-time='74021'>They did so while examining the structure of a natural enzyme that is thought to have evolved in a waste recycling center in Japan.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/eat_plastic.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=10673 data-hint-location='8979' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/the_substance_could_help_reduce__blank_.m4a'>The substance could help reduce <span class='blank'>pollution</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='pollution'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/energy.m4a'><span>energy</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/pollution.m4a'><span>pollution</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/enzymes.m4a'><span>enzymes</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/bottles.m4a'><span>bottles</span></div></div></div><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=10674 data-hint-location='62854' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/what_does_evolve_mean.m4a'>What does evolve mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='advance'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/enzyme.m4a'><span>enzyme</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/allow.m4a'><span>allow</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/advance.m4a'><span>advance</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/examine.m4a'><span>examine</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=10675 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/what_does_the_substance_eat.m4a'>What does the substance eat?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='plastic'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/plastic.m4a'><span>plastic</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/energy_source.m4a'><span>energy source</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/land_and_water.m4a'><span>land and water</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2532/bottles.m4a'><span>bottles</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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