[DisposableMike]

This write-up is missing a critical detail - the article states "Wang and Yao have bioengineered a bacteria to break down plastic faster than the 500-to-1,000-years it takes for plastic to breakdown in a typical landfill."

But - how much faster? 1% faster? 10% faster? 90% faster? Even @ 90%, if the "major" breakthrough is that it now only takes 100 years to break it down, instead of 1,000, that's really good progress, but hardly solves the immediate problems that we face.

Why would you leave that detail out?

[avmich]

Judging by the only number stated - 500-to-1000-years - and considering the lifetime of 22-olds is about 22... about 20-40 times? Of course assuming the same degree of breakdown...

[ythl]

> Why would you leave that detail out?

Because including that detail might deflate article hype?